Under a Starless Sky
by Leonaria Dragonbane
Summary: Driven out of their home by prejudice, she just wanted a place to raise her daughter in peace.  Will she find the peace she's looking for - as her daughter faces her father for the first time, or will a battle between brothers destroy her life forever.
1. Chapter 1

I know I'm horrible - another one. I at least know exactly where this one is going, so expect some Logan/Rogue Angst, and a Victor/OC, hey its what I do best.

Driven out of their home by prejudice, she just wanted a place to raise her daughter in peace. Will she find the peace she's looking for - as her daughter faces her father for the first time, or will a battle between brothers destroy her life forever.

Chapter 1 - Lynch Mob

She was wiping the diner counter when the phone rang. She cringed as Amy answered it, her sharp voice grating on Kate's nerves.

"Dave's" Kate moved the salt and pepper back to the front of the counter and moved to the next seat. The diner had been quiet all day. The only excitement had been an ambulance blazing by half an hour ago.

"Hang on a sec, she's right here." Amy held the phone out to her. "Kate, its the school."

Kate dropped her rag. Every time she got a call she expected it to be 'the one'. Margaret was eleven, almost twelve, and she knew the mutation wouldn't stay hidden much longer. Kate's own was easy to hide, mostly, but Magpie's wasn't going to be, not if she was more like her father.

"This is Ms. Rains." She said into the phone.

"This is Principal White. I need you to come to the school, Margaret is in my office." Shit, this was the fifth time this year, and she really was going to have to crack down on Magpie fighting at school.

"I'm on my way." She said, untying the apron around her waist as she hung up the phone.

"I'll be back." She said to no one in particular and rushed out the door. She heard Amy yelling behind her.

She drove to the school, hoping this was just something normal, but her heart dropped to her feet when she saw Maggie sitting in the office, her face white and blood on her hands.

She walked into the principal's office followed by her unusually subdued daughter.

"What happened?"

"Margaret was in a fight. Some boys were bullying her, and she was obviously defending herself. However, one of the boys had to be rushed to a hospital, he may lose his leg." The principal said. Kate tried to hold out hope it was just a normal fight. She could deal with that.

"Ms. Rains, you did read our student handbook with your daughter at the first of the year, correct?"

"Yes." She answered. She wanted to rip this patronizing bitch's face off.

"Then you are aware of the district's stand on our no-mutants policy." Shit and double shit.

"Yes, but Maggie..."

"Cut a boy's kneecap out of his leg with bone projections from her hand." The principal finished.

"I was just gonna punch him. I didn't know they were there." Maggie said.

"It won't happen again...". Kate started.

"I'm sorry but it is a zero tolerance policy." The woman reached into her desk. "I do have some information about a school for mutants, someplace she could go to school with her peers. We had another student about eight years ago who went there, she had a very loud scream that caused temporary deafness."" She handed Kate a booklet. Kate snatched it out of her hand and turned, storming out of the office. Maggie grabbed her bag from the chair in the office and followed.

"If I could find your father right now I'd strangle him for a month." Kate said as she got in the car.

"Who is he?" Maggie asked for the thousandth time. Kate looked at her daughter, her hazel eyes filling with tears.

"A cage fighter I met almost thirteen years ago." She gave her the same answer she always did.

"He had these?" Maggie asked, looking at her hands.

"His are metal." Was all Kate said as she drove to the small house they rented from her boss.

"Pack." Was all she said as she opened the door. She grabbed a bag from the top of the hall closet and walked straight to her room. She pulled a shoe box out from behind her nightstand and counted the pitiful savings she had in it.

"I'm not sure where we can go on two thousand dollars, but we have to get out of here." She threw some clothes in the bag, and the shoe box on top and zipped it closed.

"Mom there's someone coming and they sound angry." Maggie said, handing her mom the small bag in her hands. Kate grabbed her purse and her own bag and rushed back to the car. She could see the crowd coming down the street and she quickly threw the bags in the back seat and started the car.

The crowd parted only after she revved the engine, and they threw things at the car as she drove through, something breaking the back window into a spider web of safety glass. She drove as quickly as she could. She'd been safe in this town for fifteen years, and now was having to run, again, because humans just couldn't understand and accept mutants.

"Why'd they do that?" Maggie asked.

"Because we're different. Because they are jealous of what we have and what they don't. Because they don't understand us, and they are afraid of what they don't understand.

"What are we gonna do now?"

"I don't know, Magpie, I don't know." She looked over as Maggie turned to look out the window. Thirteen years ago she made a mistake, one she'd never regret, but a mistake nonetheless.

One night, trying to help someone try to understand what he couldn't remember, one night of letting her guard down, led to her greatest joy, but if she had it to do over she never would have followed him out of that bar.

_"I know what you are." She said from the edge of the parking lot._

_"No you don't." He snarled._

_"You're a mutant, like me. That's why you can take a beating like that, that's why they can't defeat you in the cage." He flicked his lighter and lit the cigar in his mouth._

_"So what."_

_"You need to pretend to be hurt sometimes." She said as she moved closer, watching him warily as he sat on the bike. She'd seen how he could move, in the cage, but she'd seen more, how every blow glanced off, how bruises and contusions healed instantly, or close to it, before she could even get a lock on the damage. His self healing was off the charts._

_"Why's that?" He took a drag on his cigar and then looked at her with his hazel eyes. She moved closer, lowering her voice with each step._

_"Its better to hide what you are, not let them figure it out. You'll last longer, and won't make people suspicious of others who are in hiding."_

_"Why hide?"_

_"To live, to survive."_

_"I don't need to hide, anyone fucks with me..." She heard a strange noise and three sharp blades were held up under her nose "I have these."_

_"That's fine for you, but the rest of us don't." He gave her a funny look._

_"Okay, I guess not." He quickly kicked the bike into life. "Need a lift?"_

_She thought about it, something about him, being with her own kind for a while, made her jump on the back. "Sure."_

_He took off and she realized he wasn't heading anywhere near her apartment. He pulled in to an out of the way rest stop. He climbed off the bike and sat down on the bench of a cement picnic table._

_"I didn't even know there were others like me." He said, pulling his cigar out of a pocket and lighting it again. "I don't remember much more than about five years ago. You're the first one I've seen."_

_"We have to hide." She climbed off the bike, pushing her skirt down as quickly as she could._

_"Why?"_

_"They hate us, normal people. If you can pass as normal, most try to. Its not good to advertise what you are." She climbed up onto the table and sat down on the edge, her feet on the bench next to him._

_He stretched, leaning back on the table, his arm slipping behind her back. She knew what he was trying, and decided to let him. The idea of another mutant, even one she might never see again...the idea of being with one of her own kind, without being afraid of being seen. She wasn't going to say no.  
><em>  
>"Mom?"<p>

"Sorry, what Mags?"

"Are we going to stop any time soon? I gotta go pee." Kate looked over at her daughter. She saw a rest stop with bathrooms ahead.

"Hurry, I want to get as far from here as possible tonight." Kate climbed out and looked at the mess of the rear window of the car. She couldn't afford to fix it and she hoped it held, or she was going to have to find other transportation. She glanced over at a young couple making out on one of the tables. She smiled a little at the folly of youth while she waited for Maggie to come out of the bathroom.

One quick meeting on a table like that lead to her going through nine months of misery and almost twelve years of being content and happy, until today. She shuddered at how close they came to being hurt, even with both of them able to heal themselves, they could still be hurt, and she didn't like it when her daughter stubbed her toe.

She stuck her hand into her uniform dress pocket. She felt the stiff paper and pulled out the brochure the principal had given her. Xavier's School for Gifted Youth the bright letters on the front said. The place looked more like a mansion than a school. She opened it up and read about all the activities. When she got to the part about board she stopped. She couldn't afford a boarding school, but maybe they had room on the staff for kitchen personnel. She could cook and serve, and maybe pay for Maggie's tuition.

She wanted Mags to have a better life than she'd had. She ran away from home at sixteen, the first time her healing really showed itself. She'd made a few wrong turns along the way, but managed to scrape out some kind of education for herself. A lot of good it did her, she'd still ended up serving tables at a greasy spoon instead of going into medicine like she'd planned.

One mistake had screwed that up, one man with a congenital heart defect that had dropped in front of her on the side walk. She couldn't have not helped him, couldn't have just walked by. Instead she used it, her gift, pulled the damage from his failing heart, kept his beating while her body healed the damage to herself, and saved his life...and destroyed her own.

She'd been relegated to the "freak" in the corner office, the one that could lose funding and scholarships and grants. The one they wanted to drive away. She'd run then. Left and hadn't looked back...gone to a little town in Canada, worked as a waitress in a little bar, where she'd met the fighter, the one that gave her Maggie.

She pushed the brochure in her purse as Maggie came out of the bathroom, and smiled at her daughter. She at least had a destination in mind, and Maggie wouldn't have to quit school, even if she had to wash dishes to pay the tuition.

"Lets get moving, kido." She said as she buckled herself into the car. It was old, almost as old as Maggie, and she hoped it would hold together long enough to get them to this school.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Logan, Can Ah talk to you?" Marie stood at his door. She'd been 'cured' for about three months, and he knew she was lonely and scared.

"Sure, kid." He dropped the weights he was lifting.

"I've heard rumors..." She started and he knew what was bothering her. Ro told him about it this morning. The cure was wearing off, and mutations were coming back stronger than they were before it happened.

"Yeah, Darlin'. It's temporary." She was a sweet kid, and if he'd ever had a kid he'd wish it was like his Rogue, with less curves, and there's no way any kid of his would wear lipstick or have a chest like that...or those hips...or that ass...or those legs. God he had to stop that train of thought. She was a kid, he reminded himself for the millionth time that week.

"Ah thought so. Ah started feelin' it tingle about a week ago, but Ah'm still able ta touch. Ah wanted ta try ta test it but you're the only one Ah might be able to..." He bit back the groan. The idea of her getting a dose of him, now, after Jean...and her starting to smell way too delicious and fuckable was not something he wanted her to have to deal with.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, kid." He sat up on the weight bench. He'd moved a set to his room so he didn't have to wake anyone if he had a bad nightmare and wanted to work out to deal with it.

"Ah know you're goin' through shit with Jean, Ah won't touch ya that long, just a bit of the healin' and I'll quit. Ah just want ta make sure it is really there, and that Ah can control it." She had moisture in her eyes and he was lost. He couldn't make her cry, he couldn't stand it when she cried. He just nodded. She walked over and stood in front of him. He looked up at her, waiting for her to make her move.

She leaned down, and brushed his lips with hers. At first he couldn't feel anything, he was too busy concentrating on her wonderful scent of magnolias and vanilla and something spicy with need that had him gripping the sides of the bench to keep his hands from roaming her body. Then he felt it, the pain of the pull starting, but slowly as if she were just siphoning off a little bit, not the floodgate it had once been.

"Logan." She whispered. "Can Ah try it again?"

"Yes." He whispered, unable to stop himself.

Her lips were firmer this time, and he waited for the pull, instead he felt her soft tongue brush his lips and he moaned, letting her explore his mouth before losing complete control and lacing his fingers through her hair to pull her tight against his mouth as he plundered hers. She tasted as good as she smelled and when he let her come up for air he realized her legs were wrapped around him on the bench, and her hips were pressed intimately against his. One hand was tangled in her hair, the other under her blouse, a taunt nipple pressing against his palm.

He pulled back quickly. This was wrong, she was just a kid, she didn't deserve his shit, didn't need him and his screwed up head to make her life worse.

"What the fuck was that, kid." He snapped, yanking his hand from under her shirt as if burned.

"Ah wanted ta see if Ah could control it." She had tears in her eyes again.

"Well, I'd say you can." He whispered. "Just don't tell Ice Prick ya practiced on me first."

He saw the flash in her eyes, and felt the slap. He'd made her angry, good. Now she'd storm out and he wouldn't have to look at her, hear her sobs or smell her tears...or at least he could pretend he didn't. She stood up and stormed out of his room.

"Thanks, Wolverine. Ah knew Ah could count on you ta feel me up." She snapped at the door, slamming it behind her as she exited.

He fell back on the bench, his head hitting the metal and putting another dent in it.

"You did the right thing...she deserves better." He whispered. He was going to have to pack up and hit the cages again for a while, fight off some of the damned frustration. He had a sudden thought, maybe he'd head back to Marlow...he wondered if the redhead, the one that told him about other mutants was still working in that bar. It'd been almost thirteen years since he'd been there, she'd probably moved on by now.

He stood up and grabbed his bag to pack.

"What did you do to Rogue?" He snarled as Ro slammed his door open.

"What she asked me ta do, let her test her mutation." He snapped.

"You are an idiot." Ro said.

"Yeah, and...your point is?" He asked, stuffing shirts into his bag.

"You are not leaving, we need you here. You are going to have to face what you've done and realize you may have destroyed your friendship for good this time." Ro was livid.

"Hey, I didn't ask the kid to kiss me, I sure as hell didn't ask her to kiss me the second time, and I thought you'd be proud of me for stopping before I'd fucked her over the damned bench. I swear you are the most fickle woman I've ever met. One minute its 'Keep your hands to yourself, Logan.' and now its "You've blown it because you kept your hands to yourself.' You know what, Storm. Fuck you. I need some air, some violence, and some beer and right now I ain't got any of that here."

"Fine, go find a fight, just be back here by the end of the week. Bobby can teach your self defense classes." She turned and slammed the door behind her on the way out too. Yep he needed a good fight, and maybe a good fuck before he could face either of them again.

XXXXXXXXXXX

He leaned against the truck, counting the cash from this last job. He couldn't believe he'd stooped this low, but with Magneto out of the game, and even the Runt out of reach for the time being, he was taking what jobs he could, but three hundred bucks to supervise a custody switch was low even for him.

He climbed into the cab of the beat up truck he was buying. Since Stryker's death he'd been at loose ends. The Runt killed the fucker, and now he had no one but the Runt to hunt. One word kept echoing inside his head. Alone. Alone. Alone.

He shook his head. He'd heard about a possible real job in Pennsylvania, he was going to head that way and see if his real skills could land him some real money.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Journeys

She huddled under the blanket, shivering in the back seat. The last few days had been nice, but the weather had turned unseasonably cold. Kate was in the back seat, under the broken window. She'd found a sheet of plastic and taped it to the ceiling of the car and put Maggie to sleep in the front seat where it was warmer.

"Mom." She could hear the tired whine in Maggie's voice. "I can't sleep its too cold and I'm hungry." Maggie had Kate's good heavy coat and any blankets she could scrounge covering her.

"Please try, honey. I can give you my blanket if it would help, and we'll hit Pensylvania tomorrow. McDonalds for breakfast in the morning." She sat up and started to lift the plastic to pass the threadbare blanket she'd claimed for herself to the front seat. A sudden tapping on the window startled her.

"Again?" Kate winced at the whine, ignoring what was probably a bird.

Kate jumped as the tapping came again, on the passenger side rear window. She rolled it down slowly, grateful not to have power windows.

"Can I help you?" She asked, it was probably a highway patrol officer doing a wellness check. They'd stopped the last two nights at rest stops like this one. It had been empty when they stopped but now there were two big rigs and a pick-up with a camper.

"I've got a heater in the camper." A rough male voice said. She couldn't tell much about him in the dark.

"We'll be fine." She said, starting to roll up the window.

"Lady, you're messin up my one good deed for the century. It's supposed ta get below freezing tonight and that clunker is a rolling ice box. I'll sleep in the truck cab, you two can have the bunks in the back. I'll even give you the keys so I can't drive off." He sounded sincere and a little annoyed, and something told her to trust him.

"Okay, and thank you." She opened the door and climbed out. She was wearing just about everything she'd packed, so her bag and the ragged blanket was a light load. Maggie looked like a walking snowman in all the clothes she was wearing, plus the heavy coat Kate packed. Kate grabbed her bag and the other blankets and carried them to the camper. It was one of the 'over the cab' type with a full sized bed over the cab and a fold out bed in the kitchen area. It was nice and clean inside and she turned to thank her host again.

He was standing in the light of the open door, his dark silver eyes seeming to glow for a moment in a trick of the light. He wore a short hair style that didn't let you get a judge of his hair color, what she considered a military cut. He was a lot bigger than her first impression led her to believe, and the old fashioned facial hair reminded her of the seventies for some reason. She hadn't seen sideburns like that since the night she got pregnant.

"Thank you again.". She said softly. He held out a hand, the keys dangling from a long claw on the end of his finger. She took them and set them on the small counter near the back of the camper. He was smiling when she turned back, one that reached his eyes, and she realized he wasn't that bad to look at, even with the fangs.

"There's the keys, if you're hungry, there's leftovers from dinner in the fridge. I got paid on a job tonight and I kinda over did the celebration."

"We managed McDonalds earlier, but thank you." She said as Maggie opened the fridge, Kate glared at her.

"What, I'm sick of Mickie D's." Maggie said. "There's plenty here mom."

She heard a deep chuckle behind her.

"I don't mind, enjoy it." He closed the door and she was grateful there was a lock on the inside. He was right it was much warmer in here. There was even a microwave, he must have plugged into the power for the heat. She warmed up the first non-fast-food she'd eaten in almost four days and curled up in the little fold out bed in the kitchen. Maggie yawned and climbed up into the over cab bed.

They were warm at least and could get back on the road tomorrow. One more day, and the little bit of money she'd saved, she hoped would pay for any admittance fees for the school. She drifted off to sleep with the strange thought. Her host looked a lot like Maggie's father, it had to be a coincidence. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

He pulled out of the parking lot, alone, again. He just couldn't find enough pain or blood to make him forget, and he couldn't find a woman to make him forget. Ro's words haunted him. Had he really destroyed their friendship this time. Naaa, she had Ice Prick, it had just been an experiment gone too far. Ro was full of shit.

But he just couldn't get the scent of her tears, the sounds of her sobs, or the taste of her lips out of his mind. And that led to a memory, not one of the lost ones, although it should have been.

It was a good one, the memory of the redhead from Marlow, as he thought of her. She was another one he'd run away to get the taste of her off his lips. Marie deserved better than some cage fighter, even a mutant one, and he wasn't ready to settle down yet.

Yet? Where did that thought come from. He was the Wolverine, and by God he didn't settle down. He bit into his cigar, and looked at the sign in front of him. 500 miles to the US border. He growled and gunned the bike. He could be home in a week, if he stopped and fought along the way. He wanted to save back enough cash.

He wouldn't admit to himself what he was saving for, but in the back of his mind was a ring he'd seen her looking at with the Firecracker at the mall on one of those damned shopping trips they'd roped him into.

_"Ooooo...Roguie look."_

_"Yeah its pretty...but not the kinda thing anyone'll ever buy for me." _

_"Whatdaya mean...its gorgeous." Jubilee was practically drooling._

_"Its an engagement ring, stupid. Who's gonna want ta marry a girl they can't touch." Rogue walked to the benches in the mall and sat down. "Ah ain't in the mood ta look at jewelry, Jubes, Ah'll just wait for ya here."_

She had no idea how much he wanted to buy her that ring. She was his best friend, the woman he lusted after in his heart, even when he shouldn't, the only one to keep the nightmares away and the only one he wanted to wake up next to in the mornings. Who the hell was he trying to fool. He loved her, now he just had to find a way to make things right. Ro's words echoed again " You are going to have to face what you've done and realize you may have destroyed your friendship for good this time."

There was no way in hell. She was his girl, and he was just gonna have to prove it to her. He had probably three more fights before he could afford the ring. Three more nights before he could really consider going home and claiming what was his.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Bobby, stop." She pushed him away.

"I thought you wanted this. I thought this was what the 'cure' was all about." Bobby said as he sat up on her bed.

"No, Ah did it ta be able ta touch. Ah didn't do it for you." She got up off the bed and walked to the wall to lean on it. "Leave."

"God, Rogue, you're being such a damned cock tease." Bobby slammed the door on his way out.

She looked out the window, crying silently. It just didn't feel the same, when Bobby kissed her. When it was Logan, she lost all track of everything but how it felt. With Bobby it felt like a chore.

How could he have left. She'd gone back, after slapping him to apologize and he was gone. Ro told her he had to go fight, to forget kissing her. She was so disgusting to him that he had to go back to the cages to forget her. She looked down and saw Ro and Hank having a quiet moment on the yard.

She smiled through her tears. At least they'd finally stopped dancing around the issue. Ro loved him, had for years, but he'd let the blue fur get in the way for so long. They were taking it slow, but Rogue knew they were moving in the right direction. Maybe she'd take Hank on a shopping trip and show him a certain ring.

She wiped her eyes. She was going to have to break up with Bobby, she cared about him but wasn't in love with him, as tonight proved, again. She was going to stay until Logan got back, apologize to him and then take off on her own. She needed to get away from the stares and glares and whispers of 'traitor' behind her back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

He growled as he tried to get comfortable on the front seat of the truck.

"You had to be the nice guy. You had to let the frails sleep in your comfortable bed. You just had to offer to sleep in the cab." He rolled one more time.

"Mister, thank you again." He heard the kid's voice. How the fuck had she heard him. Her scent had been bothering him since he pulled into the rest stop. He growled again and rolled onto his back.

"You're welcome now go ta sleep, kid." He said. Now he'd have to keep his muttering inside his head, damn it. He'd gotten so used to being alone he talked to himself, but if the kid could hear him he was going to have to keep it low key.

The kid was bugging him big time. Her scent was familiar but not, and he knew he should be able to place it but just couldn't. He wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight, not with the puzzle running around in his head. How did he know a kid he'd never seen, why was her scent so damned familiar.

He knew both of them were mutants. That bugged him too. They were obviously mother and daughter and he'd never in his life seen a second generation mutant. All the ones he knew with the possible exception of the damned weather-witch came from human parents, with the X gene coming from the father's side. He'd only had one experience with two powerful mutants having a child and it turned out human - and a royal pain in his ass.

He heard soft breathing from the camper and pulled the blanket tighter over him. The heater warmed both compartments so he wasn't really cold. He had no idea what he was going to do with them, now that he had them...kill them was one option, but somehow he didn't think that would be a good idea. He could take them to Magneto, who was working on rebuilding as his powers returned, but somehow the idea of a kid in the Brotherhood camps without someone to protect her made his stomach churn. The frail wasn't bad to look at, and could be fun for a few times if he played it right...but again the kid. Maybe he'd just let them go - his one good deed this century and leave it at that.

He dozed off, still rolling ideas around in his head.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kate stretched, for the first time in almost a week she'd slept, and hard. She could hear Magpie stirring and sat up. She heard a thump and a curse from the cab and winced. He couldn't have been comfortable up there. She heard the door open and his footfalls walking away from the camper. That sounded like a good idea, her bladder felt like it was going to burst.

She stood up and unlocked the camper door. Maggie jumped down behind her.

"I gotta go, Mom." She squirmed.

"Me to. Race ya." They climbed out of the camper and sprinted to the bathrooms.

"Beat ya." Maggie said as she ran inside. Kate followed behind her, always keeping a watchful ear on her even as she took care of her own need. She quickly bundled back up, the metal seats were almost freezing and she wanted to get warm again as soon as possible.

He was climbing out of the back of the camper when they walked out. He was holding a bundle in his hands.

"Gonna go change." He said as they got closer. She felt a wash of guilt about taking over his personal space.

"We'll get our stuff and go back to the car." She said.

"Well, frankly - I figure I'm stuck with ya..." He pointed at her car.

She looked over and let out a groan. The rear windshield had finally collapsed in the night, and it looked like a pool of something was under the front end.

"I saw it when I got up this morning and went to look. It looks like your ruptured a coolant line, there's nothing left in the radiator, and did you now the oil pump was going out, you've got a huge oil leak too."

"Shit. SHIT. SHIT!" she grabbed a handful of hair. She had about eleven hundred dollars left out of the money they'd brought with them, and she wanted to use most of that to get Maggie into the school."

"I can go into town and get the parts to fix it." He said, "but the windshield is going to be expensive."

"I honestly can't afford it."

"I kinda figured. Where're ya headin'?"

"New York, a school for..." She stopped.

"Yeah, I know the place. Xavier's School for Gifted Youth." He nodded.

"Yes. How did...?

"Kid could hear me talkin' ta myself in the cab last night, and I mutter quiet." She just nodded. Maggie's hearing had been getting stronger the last few months. "Besides, ya both smell like mutants."

She gave him a puzzled look.

"Enhanced senses, claws and somethin' called a healing factor." He said. "You had to have noticed, at least the physical stuff."

"Yeah."

"I figured, if it didn't bother you, either you were a hell of a lot more generous than any other human I've ever met, or one of us."

"Yeah." She didn't elaborate.

"So...I'm headin' north anyway, gotta meet up with some friends in Maine, so I'm goin' through New York anyway, and Westchester isn't off my route. I can drop you two off, if you'd like." He ran a clawed hand through his hair.

"Please, Mom!" Maggie said from the camper. The idea of traveling warm, and without the fear of the car breaking down any second certainly had an appeal.

"Fine, but let me pay you for gas." She said.

"No can do...I'm on a mileage reimbursement thing with my client...if ya pay me I'd have ta claim it, and I don't want him knowin' I picked up hitchhikers...bad for business" He grinned at her.

"What do you do, Mr..."

"Creed...contracting, construction and security at the moment." He said.

"Kate, and yes we'll take you up on that. Let me get anything else out of the car, and I guess we'll be ready to go." She was glad the car was still registered in the name of Dave, the diner owner, he'd get the ticket for abandoning it. She figured it was a small payback for being run out of town.

She grabbed the books Maggie left in the front seat, and any personal identification out of the glove box and console. She opened the trunk and grabbed her emergency kit and the extra backpack she always left packed in the back of a car; clothes for her and Maggie, food, and usually blankets, but they'd used those last night.

He helped her stow the stuff in the back of the camper, and they climbed into the cab. Maggie sat in the middle, and he unplugged the electrical cord and started the truck.

"Breakfast first?" He asked.

"Sounds good."

"No McDonalds...real food." He growled, and she nodded. Without paying for gas she'd be able to buy a nice breakfast for them.

XXXXXXXXXXX

He watched her at the diner. She started to order a cheap breakfast for her and the kid and he yanked the menu out of her hands.

"Three eggs, over medium, three bacon, three sausage, and don't burn it, biscuits and gravy, and cottage fries all around." The waitress looked at her, and he let out a low growl. He'd taken responsibility for them, at least until Xavier's by God she was going to let him feed them. She nodded quickly.

"I ain't playin' Kate. You and the kid need ta eat. You were both damned close to hypothermia last night, healin factors or not."

"I really can't..."

"Fuck...I'm buyin now shut up and eat." Maggie actually gigged and gave her the 'puppy dog' eyes that she could almost never refuse.

"Fine...but I want to know more about you, if you're buying us food." He wanted to reach across the table and strangle her...or kiss her. Where the fuck did that thought come from. She was a frail for God's sake. He'd never kissed a frail in his life and wasn't about to start now. She just stared at him, expectantly.

"Name's Victor Creed, am former military, currently an independent contractor and I like my life simple with no complications."

"Any family?"

"A brother I don't speak to, that's it."

"Wow, pretty lonely, huh?" The kid asked.

He glared at the kid. What the fuck did she know?

"Na, I like being alone."

"Doesn't sound - or smell like it." The kid said.

"Keep your ears and your nose to yourself, Kid." He growled as breakfast was dropped in front of them.

"Can't." The kid actually grinned at him. What the fuck was it about this kid that made him want to ruffle her hair instead of rip her head off.

"So...your turn." He said as he cut the eggs up and poured ketchup on everything. He liked it, it reminded him of blood.

"Kate Rains, my daughter Maggie. Maggie was kicked out of school for fighting and being a mutant, but the principal gave me this brochure about the place in New York. The town wasn't really happy about a mutant living there, so we escaped just ahead of the mob. They're the ones that broke the window."

"Shit, humans fucking suck." He growled.

"Sometimes." Kate said. He liked the name. Short, sweet, and rolled off the tongue well.

"What about the kid's father?"

She looked at the kid, and Maggie just shrugged. He figured the father wasn't in the picture.

"A guy I met at a bar thirteen years ago. I didn't even get his name." She actually blushed as she said it.

"Yeah well, we all make mistakes." He watched her as she dipped her toast into the yokes of her eggs. "And I guess his was takin' off. Seems like you got it together, Kate, if a little rocky right now. He missed out on a good thing."

"I don't know about that..." she was still blushing.

"Well, any idiot who's not careful about leaving his damned sperm laying around, is a fucking idiot. And any idiot who'd leave without getting your name is a bigger one."

She was really red now.

"Don't get a lot of compliments do ya?" He grinned at her.

"Not the backhanded kind." She laughed.

"That's all I got." He laughed too, hell even the kid laughed. He hadn't been this relaxed in years - not since he and Jimmy...no he wasn't going there. He didn't need anyone. She stopped laughing and looked at her plate and he realized she must have seen something in his face.

"I'm sorry." She said softly.

"For what?" He growled.

"Bringing up a bad memory?"

"Just my stupid brother...not your problem."

She just nodded and they finished breakfast in silence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two more fights, although maybe only one. The pot was nice last night. He turned the bike south. Just a few more days and he'd be home. Home to his Marie.


	3. Chapter 3

I know I'm horrible - another one. I at least know exactly where this one is going, so expect some Logan/Rogue Angst, and a Victor/OC, hey its what I do best.

Driven out of their home by prejudice, she just wanted a place to raise her daughter in peace. Will she find the peace she's looking for - as her daughter faces her father for the first time, or will a battle between brothers destroy her life forever.

Chapter 3 - Arrivals

"I need ta stop and stretch my legs." Victor said. They'd both been quiet since the diner and for once in his life he was worried he'd offended someone.

"That sounds great." Kate said. Maggie perked up too. There was a rest stop ahead with a historical marker that had a little hiking path to it. He pulled in and parked near the bathrooms.

Both frails jumped from the truck and ran to the bathroom and he chuckled. He slowly opened his door and stretched a little. Being cramped in a truck cab didn't make for a comfortable drive, but he was trying to be nondescript on this trip.

"Excuse me, sir." He smelled the cop before he even spoke.

"Yeah..."

"Can I see your registration, ID and insurance verification."

"Yeah, sure. He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and handed over his information.

"And just how long were you planning to stay...Mr. Creed?" the officer asked.

"Just waiting on the ladies...thought we might take a hike to the marker, been drivin' all mornin'." He said. Damned cop was pissing him off.

"Ladies. I didn't see anyone with you?" The officer took a step forward. Victor did his best to keep from ripping the damned fool's head off as Kate and Maggie came bouncing back to the truck, laughing.

"Ahh...bathroom break." The officer suddenly grinned at him and handed him his information. "You and the family have a nice stop."

Family? That idiot thought a frail like Kate would have anything to do with him? He shook his head.

"What was that?"

"Just checkin the stop. Let's walk to the marker and back." He said heading that direction.

Kate ran a couple steps to catch up with him and Maggie was right behind. This marker was on an overlook with a fantastic view. He liked to stop here and remember some of the good times he and Jimmy had back then, when the nation was divided and the war raged.

"There's a Civil War battle site you can see from the marker...not one of the big ones, like Gettysburg, but still kinda an important site." He said as they walked.

"I never would have taken you for a Civil War buff." Kate said.

"Not really, but its kinda...family history, I guess." He said. She just nodded. The path turned and the marker was in front of them. The view was stunning and she walked to the edge to look out. Maggie sat on a little bench near the marker and Kate closed her eyes and let the breeze blow over her. It felt good to stop just to stop, and not feel rushed, and watching her there he felt something he'd only felt when he saw a beautiful painting or piece of art, a tug deep in his gut, like he wanted to possess it. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

"Kate." he said sharply and she turned around. He snapped the picture at just the right moment, her red hair still flying from the turn and the breeze, the contented look still on her face.

"Why'd you do that?"

"I couldn't resist." She just smiled. He turned and snapped a quick picture of Maggie sitting on the bench too. Somehow he wanted to remember both of them.

"We better get back to the truck." he said, and they walked slowly back up the path. He explained a little to them about the battle, not from a first hand experience but as if an ancestor had been there.

Back in the truck, it wasn't as quiet. Maggie and Kate asked him questions about the school. He answered what he could, but from the questions the kid asked he realized she belonged there. She wanted to be a doctor, and was going to need school for that. She was a bright kid, and in reality, except for Jimmy, this was the first time he'd spent more than a few minutes with a kid her age in his life.

They crossed the New Jersey border around dinner time and they stopped again and ate. Lunch had been a drive-thru and eaten in the truck, something he almost never did, but he wanted to get them to the school by nightfall. He was trying to decide how to approach Kate about what he wanted to tell her.

There were video games in the diner they stopped in so he gave Maggie a handful of quarters to go play.

"Listen...when you get to the school, don't tell them you know me, okay?" He said to Kate when he was sure the kid was out of earshot - even hers.

"Why?"

"Lets just say there's bad blood between us and leave it at that." He said.

"Okay." She looked confused.

"If the old man was still in charge it would be fine. He and I had an arrangement, but the Headmistress now - well we go way back and it ain't pretty." She just nodded. He was surprised at the faint scent of jealousy. "Its not like that. There's a war on, and you're walking into the middle of it."

"What?"

"There's more than one side to every story, just remember that when you're in there...when she's in there. They have one view on how humans and mutants should interact, and they only see things their way. Others of us have different views, and well we don't like having theirs shoved down our throats."

"Oh, and ideological war. I get it." she laughed. He left it at that. The less she knew about the blood spilled the better - for now.

Maggie came back, out of quarters and their dinner arrived a few seconds later. They ate, talking about random things until he looked at his watch. They had about three hours until nightfall and he wanted to hit the road.

"I want to get you there before dark so we need to get moving." He said, he picked up the ticket the waitress left and went to the register at the front to pay while they gathered their 'frail shit' and took care of any bathroom breaks.

They were in the truck when he got there.

"Last leg." He growled, not really wanting to let them out when they got there. He'd considered trying to get her to join the Brotherhood and bring Maggie, but the kid needed the school - and her mom.

He could smell disappointment from both of them as well.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Marie paced her room. When was he coming back. She just wanted to get this over with.

"Rogue." Bobby stuck his head in the door. "I'm really sorry about last night." He walked over and tried to put his arms around her.

"So am Ah, but not like you think. Ah can't do this anymore." She said.

"What?"

"Ah like you, Bobby, but Ah'm not in love with you. Ah want..." She squared her shoulders. She'd thought about this a lot since last night. "Ah want ta be in love when Ah..."

"Shit." He looked angry.

"Ah'm sorry. It's just last night, Ah just couldn't...not like that. It wasn't right for me." She said.

"I don't need this. After everything we've been through."

"Ah know...Ah'm sorry." She was crying.

"Yeah...me too." He turned and stormed from her room. She'd never thought breaking up would be so hard. And things weren't going to get any easier when Logan got back. She was going to tell him. Her bag was ready to pack, because she knew he didn't feel the same way and she didn't think she could stand being here with him, watching him day after day, it would just hurt too damned much to watch the man you love not love you back. He was needed here, so she'd be the one to go. The school, these kids needed him.

She'd lost the him in her head when she took the cure, but the little bit of him she'd gotten the other day was still hanging around, and seemed to be getting stronger...and growling and snarling at her that she was being an idiot. She pushed it back into the box she'd made. If it kept getting stronger though, she didn't know if it would stay.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

He pulled into the bar. He'd called the jewelry store this morning, nearly missing the checkout time at the motel, trying to find out exactly how much the damned ring was going to cost. He had most of it...one more fight, and he was heading home.

He walked in, ignoring the appraising looks from some of the women. Used to he'd be looking back, but none of them had mahogany hair with white streaks, or that perfect body. He had a flash of red hair out of the corner of his eye, and shook his head. All he wanted was a whiskey and to plan how he was going to get his girl.

He leaned on the bar, planning exactly how he was going to do this. First win the fights tonight, then tomorrow stop in Salem Center and pick up the ring. Then back to the school...from there he had no clue. She was with Ice Prick for one, and he knew that a out and out fight would just piss her the fuck off...not that pissed off was bad, but he didn't want her feeling sorry for the Prick after he mopped the floor with him. No he was going to have to be subtle...something he wasn't very good at.

He'd start with an apology for running off, maybe a couple movie nights or hockey games to get her to relax around him again, and then he'd start making a few moves. Nothing fast, he didn't want to scare her off...

"Hey, Sugar, can I buy you a drink." It was the red head he'd caught out of the corner of his eye. A bottle red head, he could still smell the chemicals on her.

"No thanks. Just here ta fight." He said.

"You sure I can't do anything for ya." She laid a hand on his arm. He gently picked it up and put her hand back on the bar.

"I'm sure. I got a girl at home." She just shrugged and walked off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He stopped the truck about five hundred yards back from the gates. She looked at him strangely.

"We're here." She could hear the regret in his voice. She felt the same way. She didn't want this day to end. "Kido, get the bags out of the back would ya, I want ta talk to your mom a minute."

Maggie climbed over Kate and opened the door. Kate watched her in the rear view mirror until she felt the back door open and could hear Maggie moving around in the camper.

"If you ever want out of there, I'll find a way for you to contact me. The kid needs what they can give her, but you..."

"Thanks for the offer but Maggie and I are a package deal." She said.

"I know that, I just...there's no place she could get the schoolin' where I go."

Kate shook her head. She felt the attraction too, but her daughter came first, always. Even now when it was so hard to tear herself away from the cab of this truck.

"Just promise me two things. No matter what they say in there, don't let them poison you and always remember there's two sides to everything." His eyes were intense, almost black.

"I promis..." She started but his hand moved quickly, grasping the back of her head and pulling her against him, his lips demanding she open to him and she did. She didn't know who moaned first, or when her hand ended up in his hair trying to pull him closer. He released her as suddenly as he'd initiated the kiss and she sat there breathless for a second.

"You better go." He said roughly, but she could see his chest heaving too.

"I promise." She whispered as she climbed out of the truck. "You know where to find us."

He nodded and she closed the door. Maggie had their small amount of possessions on the curb and the door of the camper was shut. He pulled slowly away, making a U-turn in the middle of the street. He didn't even look at them as he drove away.

"He kissed you." Maggie said.

"Yeah...and..." Kate said as she picked up her bag and the backup backpack. All the blankets had been repacked, even the ones she'd scrounged.

"You like him. So do I."

"Well he knows where to find us." She said as she watched the camper until it was out of sight, almost willing him to turn around. He didn't.

She walked to the gate and pushed the buzzer.

"Xavier's, can I help you." A cultured female voice with a strange accent said through the intercom.

"My daughter was kicked out of school for being a mutant. Someone told us about this place..." The gates opened slowly.

"Please come to the front doors, someone will meet you there."

"Thank you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Why the fuck had he done that. He was kicking himself. He could still taste her, smell her...and all he wanted to do was go back and pick them both up and drive off. They belonged with him. They belonged to him, and he was leaving them with the enemy. It just wasn't right.

His claws cut strips out of the steering wheel and he shook his head. He had work to do and didn't have time in his life for a frail or a kid. Besides, they'd probably annoy the hell out of him and be dead in a week. He pulled his cell phone out and looked at the picture of Kate. It was all he had, but it was enough to remember the best damned day of his life.

He dialed a number on the phone.

"Robbins."

He could hear the mumbling little accountant's breathing pick up.

"Yes, Mr. Creed?"

"I need five hundred thousand wired to the Xavier's School for Gifted Youth, in the name of Maggie Rains. On the wire put Tuition and Board for ten years. Make it anonymous."

"Yes, Mr. Creed." The weasel had his uses.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"...a fight, her mutation activated and the boy was hurt, had to be taken to the hospital." Kate said to the woman behind the desk. Ororo Monroe was how she'd introduced herself.

"I see. And the principal gave you our brochure? We can contact them for her school records?"

"Yes."

There was a sound from a laptop computer near Ms. Monroe's elbow. She glanced at it, and then back at them.

"Does anyone know you are coming here?"

"Just the guy that gave us a ride. He didn't even give us his name." Maggie said, and Kate wanted to shush her.

"Well, someone just paid your tuition and board for the next ten years...with interest."

Kate shook her head. "No, I'll pay my own daughter's tuition."

"I'm sorry, but it was wired directly to our account, in your daughter's name from an anonymous donor. I can't return it, and frankly can't afford to." Kate just stared at her.

"What about mom?" Maggie asked.

"We can help her find an apartment nearby, however our students live on campus."

"But she's a mutant too, you have to help her."

"Maggie. Enough." Kate said.

"You are?"

"Its nothing. I was kind of hoping you had a position her at the school, maybe in the kitchen or something, so I could stay close to her."

"Our older students take turns with kitchen duties, with a faculty supervisor. It is part of our home economics program."

"Oh."

"Is there anything else you can do?"

"Like what?"

"Do you have a degree? Can you teach a class? Do you have any experience other than in a kitchen?"

"I could teach I guess, I've got a degree or two." Maggie looked at her strangely.

"In what?"

"Medicine." A voice from the door said, one Kate hadn't heard in twenty years.

"Hank McCoy?" She turned, and there he stood, blue fur and all.

"Dr. Kate Rains, as I live and breathe." She stood up and accepted his hug. Of all the research associates she'd worked with back then, Hank was the one she'd missed the most, and the one she'd sent all her research to when she'd walked away. "Are you here to finally take me up on that job offer?"

"Not a doctor any more, I haven't held a medical license in twenty years. And it looks like maybe I am. I didn't realize this was where you were working. I thought you were at the UN?"

"What kind of doctor?" Ms. Monroe asked.

"Osteopathy." Hank said. "And one of the best research associates I've ever worked with. She developed the database we use to classify mutants."

"Then I'm more than certain we can find something for you to do." Ms. Monroe said. Hank walked over to the dark skinned woman and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

"MOM!" She looked at Maggie, who was looking at her like she'd grown another head.

"What...I had a life before you were born."

"A DOCTOR!"

"Yes. Research Physician at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center."

"Why didn't you tell me. You know I want to be a doctor."

"I wanted you to make up your own mind, and I gave up that life long before you were born."

"Why?"

"My mutation was made public, and people just didn't understand. They pushed me out, cut my funding and grants for my research, cold shouldered me until I just couldn't take it anymore. So I left. I found a place where people could accept me as I was, and I could hide and pretend to be normal."

"You gave up. You QUIT!"

"Yes I did."

"How old are you?" Maggie asked. She'd never even been curious about how old Kate was.

"Fifty-six."

"I think it is safe to assume your mutation is some kind of healing factor." Ms. Monroe said. "We have a suite available on the third floor, its two rooms and a living area, we rarely get families, but welcome to Xavier's.


	4. Chapter 4

I know I'm horrible - another one. I at least know exactly where this one is going, so expect some Logan/Rogue Angst, and a Victor/OC, hey its what I do best.

Driven out of their home by prejudice, she just wanted a place to raise her daughter in peace. Will she find the peace she's looking for - as her daughter faces her father for the first time, or will a battle between brothers destroy her life forever.

Xmen4life - Yes I agree - and hope the rewrite is better.

Chapter 4 - Confrontations

She stood on the balcony, her meager possessions put away in the expensive dresser. Kate ran her fingers across the railing. She didn't regret anything, not really. She could hear Maggie in the other room putting her things away and smiled. No she didn't regret giving everything up. She'd been given the greatest gift in the world, and wouldn't change a thing.

She leaned over, looking down over the grounds. She saw several people walking either in groups or singly. She saw a boy and girl talking. The boy was tall, blonde and athletic looking, and the girl had dark brown hair and seemed small in comparison. She watched as he tried to convince the girl to do something, and the girl refuse, and with a sad smile, walk away. She was going to have to get used to so many people around. The girl had a cold, and Kate had to force herself not to heal it.

She saw Ms. Monroe and Hank walking arm in arm and smiled. Twenty years ago he'd told her about a woman he was in love with, but she'd been too young at the time, and with his fur and color he seriously doubted she'd ever see him romantically. She was glad he'd been proven wrong.

Watching them made her remember the kiss in the truck and she blushed furiously.

"Thinking about Victor?" Maggie asked as she walked out the door.

"Yes."

"I miss him. I wish he could have stayed."

"Me too."

"Why don't they like him?"

"I don't know. But remember what I told you, don't let anyone know his name. He's just some guy that was nice enough to give us a ride."

"I know."

She pulled her daughter against her side and looked up. The sky was overcast and she couldn't see a single star. She hoped wherever he was, he had stars in the sky to watch.

XXXXXXXXXXX

He finally pulled the truck to a stop on an old logging road. He'd driven all night, only stopping for an occasional bathroom stop, and he could still smell her. Still taste her. He'd turned around three times to go back, but talked himself out of it. Now there was no turning back.

"Welcome home, Brother." Magneto said as he walked into the command center.

He just growled a little. Mystique was back too, even after he betrayed her. Toad had come slinking from out of a swamp somewhere, and the damned firebug was lounging in a corner. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to grab Kate and Maggie and find someplace safe for the three of them, but here he was.

"Hey 'Tooth." Toad said as he walked by. He just snarled and found a corner to stand in and lean on a wall. They never expected him to say much of anything, and nothing had changed. There were more mutants outside, more people drawn to Magneto's cause, but other than that...Victor was just the dog in the corner, to be ordered around, or ignored unless needed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

He stretched as he walked out of the mall. Part one of the plan was complete. He dropped the bag with the small box in the top of his rucksack attached to the back of the bike. Now, he just had to win the girl.

He turned the nose of the bike for home...home and his Marie.

The gates opened with a push of a button on the handlebar of the bike, and he gunned the engine up the driveway. If she wanted to avoid him after what he did, she should have plenty of warning.

He parked the bike, and grabbed his pack and walked in the side door of the house. He took a scent of the air. He caught a few new scents but they were all mingled. Until he met people face to face, he'd have to sort the scents out later, all he wanted was to find Marie.

He walked down the hall, and into the entry way, and there she was. He froze. He hadn't expected her to be waiting for him.

"Hey." He said softly.

"Hey." She said with a tremor in her voice. She launched herself at him and hugged him and it was all he could do to keep from kissing her.

"I'm sorry." They said it simultaneously.

"Logan, Ah need ta talk to you." She said. He could smell pain and tears. What was wrong with his Marie?

"Can I get my bag put away?" He wanted to get the ring someplace safe until he could put it on her finger.

"Sure, can Ah help?"

"Sure, kid." She flinched as he said it, and he kicked himself mentally. She wasn't a kid anymore.

She followed him up the stairs to his room, and he could smell her uncertainty and fear. He didn't know what was bothering her, but she needed him, and he'd be there for her if it killed him.

He opened the top of the bag as he dropped it on his bed. He grabbed a handful of shirts, with the bag hidden inside and stuffed it in a drawer. She took the next load, this of jeans and started folding them to put away.

"So what's on your mind, Marie." He said.

"Ah..." She was concentrating too hard on folding his jeans.

He took the fabric out of her hands, and put a finger under her chin to force her eyes up to his. What he saw there made him freeze. No...she couldn't...not yet. He had to earn it. She couldn't just give it to him like this. He didn't deserve it.

"Logan...Ah..." She tried to pull away, but he stopped her with his lips.

"I love you, Marie." He said softly as he pulled away from her.

There were tears in her eyes, and he was suddenly afraid he'd misread her eyes.

"Oh...Logan...Ah love you." She whispered and threw her arms around his neck.

"Baby, what's wrong?" He said as he wrapped his arms around her. "You're gettin' my favorite shirt all wet."

"Ah was afraid...you didn't want me. That was why you left...you didn't want me." She sobbed against his shoulder.

"Darlin, I left because it wasn't right...i wanted you too much. You are..were...are with Ice Prick, I didn't have a right." He whispered against her hair.

"Ah broke up with him." He chuckled. He'd figured that part out already.

"I couldn't get your taste off my lips, Darlin. It drove me insane the whole time I was gone."

"You had ta go back to the cages to forget..."

"No...I had to go back to the cages to remember why I wasn't good enough for ya." He whispered.

"Bullshit." She pulled back from him and he smiled at the spark of anger in her eyes. He wanted his spitfire, wanted his Rogue, and there she was. "I don't ever want ta hear shit like that again."

"Darlin, I can't even give you a name..."

"Who's askin?"

"I am."

"What?"

"I don't have anything ta give ya, not even a name but I'm askin ya ta marry me." He said.

"Logan..." She had those damned tears again.

He let go of her and walked to the dresser. He pulled out the bag and opened the box. She covered her mouth with her hands, then looked at him.

"You're serious?"

"No shit, Kid...I love ya, I need ya, so yeah I'm serious." Now he was getting pissed.

"Will you stop calling me Kid if I say yes?" She asked, her head cocked to one side, her tell when she was teasing him.

"Hell no. I love ya, Kid."

"Then...Yes." She said. He pulled her against him. She was going to drive him insane...but she'd said yes.

He grabbed her left hand and growled because she was wearing her damned gloves.

"Off."

She yanked the glove off and he slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly.

"Ah can't believe this...Ah love this ring." She was crying but somehow he didn't think anything was wrong this time.

"I love you." He whispered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So what I'd like you to do is assist Hank with his research on organizing the DNA samples we have on known mutants and doing relativity crosschecks with known mutants in our current database."

"Ms. Monroe, you have no idea how much..."

"Its Ro."

"Ro."

She heard someone walk past the open door behind her.

"LOGAN!" Ro raised her voice. "Come in here, I want you to meet our new research assistant." She turned to see who walked in the door, and was glad she was sitting down. He was the last person she expected - or wanted - to see right now.

"You!" She said with a hiss, what was he doing here?

"Back at ya." He looked at her, shock written on his face.

"You two know each other?" Ro said softly.

"Sort of." Kate said, glaring at the man called Logan. She must have let something show on her face.

"He's...?" Ro said softly.

"Yes." Kate answered, just as softly as the rage boiled inside her.

"I'll leave you two to talk." Ro stood up and walked out of the room, and pulled the door closed behind her. Kate almost reached out to stop her. The last thing she wanted was to be alone with this man.

"What are you doing here, Red?" He asked a grin on his face, his body relaxed. She wanted to slap that smug look off his face.

"Its Kate." She said firmly. He was not going to get the upper hand, not in this conversation. She could see the confusion in his face at her anger.

"Kate then..." He reached a hand out to shake hers.

"My daughter was expelled from school for being a mutant. Where else would I go?" She hissed the last at him, as if it was simple logic. The look of confusion on his face just made her more angry.

"You have a kid?" She just glared at him.

"Yes, she's almost twelve." She watched his face as the gears in his head started working, slowly.

"Twelve?"

"Yes, I figure even you can take almost thirteen and subtract nine to get almost twelve." She hissed at him. She knew she shouldn't be this angry, it wasn't really his fault. She'd been the one to tell him to respect those who were hiding...she just hadn't expected him to show back up anywhere close to her, and certainly not close to Maggie.

He sat down hard in a chair. She heard the wood creak and remembered his unnatural weight, and why it was there. She felt a moment of fond remembrance, then brushed it aside. She wasn't going to give him any edge, especially no the edge of knowing she actually remembered that night with anything but anger.

"She's...mine?" She almost laughed at the shocked look on his face. He was blinking as if he'd been hit over the head and his hands were shaking.

"Very good, Einstein. You can do math." She probably shouldn't be this sarcastic, but frankly he was the last fucking person on earth she wanted to see.

"What's...you said she's a mutant...?" That was all he wanted to know. Not her name? Not when she was born? Not the color of her eyes or how many fingers and toes she had? Just what her mutation was.

"Yep...enhanced senses, healing works in severe trauma right now, but is allowing her body to mature at a normal rate...and those wonderful claws of yours...cut a boy's kneecap out on the playground, that's why she was expelled. I guess she gets that from you too."

"Now wait a damned minute..." He started, standing up. She backed away as she saw the rage on his face, but felt a surging response from her gut.

"NO! You wait a damned minute. You knew where I was, knew where to find me. You're the idiot that left his DNA around without checking, so yeah I've got a right to be pissed. I finally get her someplace safe, someplace where she can grow up without all the bullshit in the world, and who shows up but her deadbeat dad. So yeah I've got a fucking right to be pissed off."

"Deadbeat Dad...I didn't even know I had a fucking kid until five minutes ago, so don't you go throwing names around, Red." He shouted back. "And for the record, I don't leave my DNA around without checking...I had a fucking reason for not going back there, and it happened to be a fucking mutant with an attitude that didn't want her 'cover' blown. So don't go telling me this is all my fault.

"Don't call me RED!" she shouted back. "I have a name, and if you'd bothered actually asking for it back then, you might have been able to look me up without blowing my 'cover' and might have known something sooner.

"I was a little distracted by the nice rack and ass..."

"Yeah and that's what got me into this mess."

"Yeah well, it doesn't look like you're alone in it."

"I have been, where the hell have you been. I bet you just got back from another round of cage fighting and fucking anything in a skirt. Maybe you'd better start taking names...you might have other kids out there you don't know about."

The were nose to nose, shouting at each other when she heard the door open.

"Mom?" She looked over at the pale face in the door. Shit! Why did she have choose that moment to walk in? "Is it true? Ro told me that you wanted me to meet my Dad?'

"Yes." She'd never lied to her daughter and wasn't going to start now. Behind her was one of the older students, the one with white streaks. Her face was almost as white as Maggie's.

"Logan?" The girl asked, rushing to his side. Kate noticed a large ring on her one bare hand. The other was covered in a glove.

"Yeah, Kid. It's true. But its not going to change anything." He snarled, not at the girl but at Kate.

"It better change something. Now that you are fucking here, you can take some fucking responsibility, at the very least get to know your daughter." Kate spat at him. She suddenly knew how a cat felt.

"I have every intention of getting to know my kid and you are not going to be able to stop me even if you try, Kate." He said her name as if it was poison in his mouth. "As for the rest, its not going to change anything. Rogue and I are getting married, so the kid will have a step-mother as well." He growled at her.

"Oh that's rich, she's barely older than your daughter; and she's not a Kid. Her name is Margaret Amanda Rains. Start using it." Kate snarled.

"IS he my DAD!" Maggie shouted.

"I told you, yes he is." Kate said, looking at Maggie.

"My DAD is WOLVERINE! OF THE X-MEN!"

"What are you talking about?" Kate said.

"You remember! Alcatraz, the viral video on YouTube?...The guy that killed the girl in red? The one that was killing everything...MOM! O.M.G. I showed you like six freakin times."

"I don't remember. You show me videos all the time."

"I kept asking you, was that my dad."

"Maggie, for God's sake, it was blurry and I couldn't tell anything other than the color of the woman's dress. I told you then I didn't know..."

"MOM!"

"Maggie...that's not important. What is important is this is Logan, your father."

He held out a hand to Maggie, but she just glared at both of them, and ran from the room.

"Now look what you did." She snapped.

"I did...you're the one that..." He growled at her and she heard the sound of metal rubbing against metal. She looked at his hand and saw one set of his blades exposed.

"Oh like that will do you any good." She snapped. "Try that on her and she'll just keep running. If you really want to know anything about her, you're going to have to keep that temper of yours under control."

"MY TEMPER!" He shouted. "You're the one who's been..."

"Logan, let it go, for now. Maggie is the one we need to worry about. You two can work this out later." Kate could see tears in the girl's eyes.

"Nothing against you, young lady, but don't tell me what to do about my daughter." Kate said. "I'll talk to her."


	5. Chapter 5

I know I'm horrible - another one. I at least know exactly where this one is going, so expect some Logan/Rogue Angst, and a Victor/OC, hey its what I do best.

Driven out of their home by prejudice, she just wanted a place to raise her daughter in peace. Will she find the peace she's looking for - as her daughter faces her father for the first time, or will a battle between brothers destroy her life forever.

Chapter 4 - Revelations

He leaned on the wall, in his 'on guard' stance. Magneto liked for things to look somewhat organized and professional, so Victor was stuck with guarding the command post. Making sure no one who wasn't supposed to got in. He had to be careful about the cell phone, the way Magneto warped the fields around the camp, they were useless, so he didn't want to be seen having it out very often. Looking at their pictures was sometimes the only way he'd been able to get any sleep at all the last few months.

At some point in the day he always had what he was starting to call his 'fuck it all' moments, when he wanted to just walk out the door, get in the truck, drive back down there, grab both of them and just take off for parts unknown. Sometimes it was more than once a day, but he was fighting it. He kept reminding himself the kid needed the school, Kate needed...him...no, he shook his head. Kate needed to be with other mutants, to become something other than a mother. It would be too dangerous here for them. There'd been three killings in the last week alone in the camps as more and more disgruntled mutants arrived.

The problem wasn't that humans were suddenly attacking mutants again...it was the exact opposite. There was a new "Mutant's Rights" bill before both the Canadian Parliament and US Senate, granting Mutant the same rights and class protections as other groups in recent history. There were whole towns springing up where humans and mutants not only lived in peace, but were thriving. And as always, when things started to go well, there were fringe groups that were causing problems. Victor tried not to look like he was listening to Magneto and Mystique in the conference room.

"What is it?" Magneto said. Victor snorted. It was a dead mutant, Bucket head.

"We found it nailed to the entrance to the Morlock Tunnels...we couldn't even identify who it was." Mystique said, strain in her voice. Things hadn't been blissful in paradise since she got back. She was still furious about him just abandoning her like that, and Victor couldn't blame her, he actually felt a little sympathy for the metamorph. Not enough to fuck her for revenge's sake, but a little sympathy.

"And we are getting more..." Magneto paused for one of the bone wracking coughs that had consumed him lately. "Morlocks in the camp."

The Morlocks were one of the last holdout groups, wanting to just live in peace in the sewer tunnels under New York, but they were being assaulted by someone who knew where they lived - and how to steal them away, and leave the bodies as warnings. The Morlocks were usually the most extreme forms of mutation, those that had no way of existing in a human world without notice. They were very vulnerable to the violent anti mutant fringe groups forming out there.

"What we need is a doctor." Mystique said coolly.

"I'm fine."

"No you're not, Erik. That cough is not fine."

"It is nothing for you to worry about, My Dear...please, continue the investigation. I want to know who's responsible for this." He ended on another of the deep coughs.

"Erik! Victor get in here." He opened the door. Magneto was lying on the floor. "He's coughing up blood."

"I'll take him." Victor said simply, and lifted the light form of their leader into his arms. He carried him quickly down the corridor he'd been standing guard in, to Magneto's private rooms. He laid him on the bed, and turned on the hot air humidifier that eased the lung problems the old man was developing. Erik still trusted Victor and had let him in on the deadly secret he was carrying. He was dying...and wanted to see victory before he died.

"He needs a doctor." Mystique said from the door. She wouldn't enter this room, and Victor understood why. The moment she gave in and admitted she could enter, she had to admit she still cared about the old coot.

"No...doctor." Erik wheezed.

"It's your funeral." Mystique said, and turned away, even Victor's sharp hearing couldn't hear her footfalls outside.

"Victor." He was startled by Magneto using his real name. "I need you to go...to the house that Charles built...I need...some information about a mutant...one that disappeared twenty years ago...a healer. That mutant is the only thing that can save me now.

"Why do you think they'd have information?"

"Because, Hank McCoy brought...information about it after it...disappeared. We were never able to...find out more than...the type of mutation and the level. It is a class seven or higher...and able to bring back...the dead, if the body isn't too far gone."

"How am I supposed to get that information." Victor said.

"I am counting on...your family...to help. You need to talk to...the Wolverine." Eric passed out.

Victor let out a low growl. He had no idea Erik knew that little secret. What did he mean, talk to the Runt?

"You'd better do what he says." Mystique said from his side. "I'll sit with him until you're back."

"They'll cage me, try to kill me. It may take a while." He said, but deep in his gut another feeling was starting to form, hope. He could maybe see them, if not speak, at least see that they were doing alright.

"Go in peace...don't fight him if he attacks...show them you mean them no harm, hell tell them what you are looking for. I think Erik meant you need to give Wolverine his past back...talk to him, free him from the chains of not knowing. That will get you in the door."

Victor nodded. Things would be so much easier if the damned telepath were still alive.

XXXXXXXXX

"MARGARET AMANDA RAINS!" Kate shouted, standing at the door of her daughter's room. There were bags from every store in the mall scattered all over the room, three different gaming systems, a new laptop, and more shoes than her closet could hold.

"Mom!" Maggie said, hands on her hips. "Dad gave it to me, okay."

"Not okay. You are taking advantage of him...and Rogue...and it is going to stop."

"It's my birthday..." Maggie started.

"Kate, please, He just wanted ta get her what she wanted for her birthday." Rogue said behind her.

"A What Not To Wear Makeover out of his own pocket is NOT a birthday present for a twelve year old." Kate snapped back. "I don't mind him buying her a new outfit, but this is outrageous."

"He's just trying ta make up for lost time..." Rogue started.

"No he's trying to buy her and it is NOT going to work. First I want all of this gone through. You can keep two outfits, and ONE game system. The rest will be returned. Am I clear."

"MOM!"

"Don't Mom me, young lady. You are grounded for a month for trying to take advantage of your father. You know it's wrong, you did it anyway, and now you get the consequences. No movies, no outings, no electronics, no game systems, no computers, NOTHING but books for the next month."

"Isn't that a little harsh?" Rogue asked. Kate turned on the girl.

"She's my daughter, and I'm going to make sure she learns consequences for her actions. Her father certainly isn't setting a good example."

"He knows about consequences...he's the one that can't remember anything about his life remember. That is a consequence he lives with every day." Rogue shouted back.

"Well, he's setting a piss poor example for Maggie, and I am NOT going to allow it." She shouted back.

"Let her keep half. She needs the clothes, hell you both do, and he's just tryin ta provide a need he could see." Kate cringed at the comment about her wardrobe. She wasn't going to allow Ro or Logan or anyone else to provide what she needed. She was saving her money a little at a time, and had planned on taking Maggie on a shopping spree herself for her birthday, but as usual Logan beat her to it. It was really starting to get on her last nerve. Every time she planned something, every time she wanted to do something with Maggie, Logan beat her to it, and she was the one made to look like a bad guy.

"Fine, and I'll even let you help her pick out the half she gets to keep." Kate said. She didn't have anything against Rogue, hell she even liked the girl, they both did. It was Logan who was the author of this catastrophe and she was going to go give him another piece of her mind.

"Thank you. Logan's downstairs. Ah have a feeling you two are headin' for another fight." Rogue said, sadly.

"Its nothing against you, I think you're doing pretty well, under the circumstances, but he's got to stop this shit." Kate said. Rogue walked past her, into Maggie's room and grabbed a bag to start the sorting process.

She stormed out of the suite and down the stairs. Several kids saw her and ran the other way. They knew she was on a Wolverine hunt, and nothing better get in her way.

The last several months had proven her right about him. He disappeared every chance he got into that 'Danger Room' of theirs, trying to avoid issues by violence. He would take his time with Maggie and spoil her rotten. This wasn't the first shopping spree she'd had to nix. They'd just done this one behind her back, instead of asking her first. Why she needed her own game system when there were seven in the rec room was beyond her. The same thing for a computer. There were plenty available all over the school, she didn't need her own. They all lived under the same damned roof, for God's sake. She had access to anything available to any other student. Why wasn't that good enough for him.

She'd agreed to the self defense classes daily, and at first had been pleased to see them getting along. She didn't want anything to do with him, but was glad that Maggie was starting to build something...then suddenly it was a piece of jewelry here, a new game there, and she knew it wasn't all Logan's fault. Maggie was manipulating and that was going to stop, but Logan had to stop making Kate look bad. All she did anymore was discipline and say no. She hadn't had a fun outing with her daughter since they arrived. Logan always made it about him, he wanted time with her, he wanted to do things, and Kate said yes because she agreed. He needed to spend time with her, but it was getting out of hand.

She'd finished checking the second floor. No sign of him. She started down the main staircase and three students stood at the bottom, pointing down the back hall to the back terrace. She just nodded to them, and stormed that way.

"Just what the hell do you think you are doing with this stunt?" She shouted as she walked out the terrace door.

"She needed clothes." Logan said, not even turning around from where he was leaning on the railing, watching some kids in the yard.

"You cannot buy her, Logan. She's manipulating you and it has to stop. You have to say NO!" Kate said.

"I can't help it if you couldn't provide shit for her, Kate. I can. At least let me do that." He did turn that time.

"I'm letting her keep half of the clothes and one game system. Everything else needs to be returned."

"Shit - the kid has maybe enough clothes for a week, if that, and those are falling apart." Logan snarled. "It's been three months and you guys still look like you arrived yesterday."

"FUCK YOU! Did you ever think that maybe I wanted to take her. Did you ever think that maybe I'd like to spend time with her without having to be the bad guy and provide all the discipline. Did you ever think that I MISS MY DAUGHTER because of YOU!"

"Hell, You've had her the last twelve years." He shouted back.

"ENOUGH!" Ro shouted from the door. "You two can finish this later. Logan I need your help on the front lawn. I received a call from Moira McTaggert...Charles is alive, and on his way home. They should be landing the helicopter any moment."

"Alive...How? I saw him..." Logan's face was white.

"I know...but he is. He said he'd explain it when he was settled in at home." Ro had a shocked smile on her face. "Logan he's alive."

"That doesn't mean..." Logan started.

"No, he's going to use Cerebro, and see if maybe Scott survived too, but he's not holding any hope."

Kate could hear a helicopter in the distance. Logan glared at her, but put out his cigar, and moved to the door.

"This isn't done, Logan." Kate said.

"We'll deal with it later." He snarled back, his usual answer. So far later never came.

XXXXXXXXXXX

**Congratulations, I am so pleased you learned control. **

Marie started. She hadn't heard that voice in over a year and a half. "Professor?"

**Yes, Rogue. I would like to see you later this afternoon, if you don't mind.**

"See me." She could feel the tears in her eyes. Maggie looked at her strangely, but she handed her the top in her hand.

"Keep or return." Maggie said, still sullen.

"Ah like it." Rogue said, handing it back.

"Keep then." Maggie said and put it in the small pile next to her.

**Please continue what you are doing. I am planning on talking to Logan and Kate about the situation, and Rogue, you are doing a fantastic job.**

She felt the tears roll down her cheek.

"What's wrong?" Maggie said.

"The Professor's alive, and home." Rogue said through her tears.

"I take it that's a good thing." Maggie said.

**Yes, Margaret, that is a good thing. Rogue, please continue. I do agree with Kate that some of the excess needs to be returned.**

Rogue laughed at the strange look on Maggie's face. "He's a telepath."

"Yeah I got that..." Maggie said and picked up a pair of Gucci jeans.

"Return. I thought Logan paid way too much for those anyway." Rogue said. Maggie nodded and handed them to Rogue.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Logan paced the hallways, his ears sharp. Now that the Professor was back, and had proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was him, Logan knew the danger level would only increase.

The sound of voices from the Professor's office caught his attention and he paused to listen. When had Kate gone in with Charles?"

"...sixteen when the healing factor manifested fully. My step-father beat the hell out of me. I should have died but I didn't, I just kept healing." Kate said, and Logan could hear and smell the tears.

"Then what?" Charles asked. Logan felt like a heel for listening and started to move away.

**Stay, you need to hear this, and she would never tell you what made her who she is.**

"I ran. My step-dad always hated me. I guess because of my dad, even though they were high school friends. My dad died before I was born, and Mom married my step-dad. He never raised a hand to them, but he hated me from the moment I was born. I was never good enough, never pretty enough, never strong enough, never smart enough for him."

She paused, and then continued. "I went to live with an old lady, well I'm not even sure she knew I was there. I made sure she ate, and I went to school, but other than that I was on my own...I worked the streets for cash, usually I took the ones that liked it rough so the other girls didn't get hurt. I knew I wanted to finish school, and that was the only way...School during the day, and the streets at night. Sometimes I'd do homework while waiting to be picked up for a trick."

That stunned him...and made him realize why she was so protective of Maggie.

"I finished school and got a partial scholarship to college, but it wasn't enough. I 'worked' my way through the first two years until I got a full ride scholarship my Junior year. After that I only worked if cash was tight until I graduated college and was accepted in Medical School. Half of my professors were johns but they never realized it. They'd beat the crap out of me at night and the next day I'd be sitting in their class as if nothing was wrong."

"Kate...when did the second half of your mutation develop." Charles asked. Second half? She had more than a healing factor?

"It was why I wanted to go into medicine. I thought I could use it quietly, and no one would know." Kate moved slightly in her chair, he could hear the wood creak. "One night about six months after I ran away from home, one of the girls got hit bad. She was out cold when I found her, I touched her...and all the pain, all the wounds, bruises, cuts, broken bones...they all transferred to me. She was completely healed, and my healing factor cured my body within seconds."

"Have you found any limits to this healing?" Charles asked.

**Understanding your opponent is the first step of battle, Logan, you know that.**

"No. The reason I left medicine - and research was because I brought my supervising physician back to life. He had a major cardiac arrest in a staff meeting. Everyone else was trying CPR, after they left to get a crash cart, I touched him. I could feel my heart dying, and then his start beating again...my heart healed and he opened his eyes. He'd been dead for almost twenty minutes. After that, I kept getting the strange looks, funding for my projects got cut, and I couldn't take it any more. I ran...I quit I guess. I just wanted to feel normal." She finished the last with a sob.

**Logan, give her some slack. You expect it for yourself, you must learn to give it as well.**

"And Margaret?"

"She's the light of my life. I don't regret for a minute having her. I somewhat regret who her father is, but he's not that bad. He's spoiling her too much, and cutting me out of the joy in her life right now, but I guess that's normal for someone who didn't know he was a father until three months ago."

Shit she was giving him a pass...he thought about it. She was right. He'd been trying to cut her out, Maggie was his, and he wanted those moments for himself. He needed to remember that Maggie was hers too...and learn to share.

**Very good, Logan. You can go.**

**Fuck you, and get the fuck out of my head.**


	6. Chapter 6

I know I'm horrible - another one. I at least know exactly where this one is going, so expect some Logan/Rogue Angst, and a Victor/OC, hey its what I do best.

Driven out of their home by prejudice, she just wanted a place to raise her daughter in peace. Will she find the peace she's looking for - as her daughter faces her father for the first time, or will a battle between brothers destroy her life forever.

Chapter 6 - Longing

She walked the grounds for a while, after her talk with the professor, her mind replaying things in her mind. Logan was causing all manner of hell, admittedly she was just as stubborn, but he didn't take any responsibility for any of it. How was she supposed to teach Maggie anything if he let her get by with murder.

She groaned as she saw him waiting for her on the terrace. The ever-present cigar clenched in his teeth.

"We need to talk, Kate." She glared at him, but nodded. He was right, they needed to talk, but his body language was all aggression, and nothing toward trying to compromise and work together.

"Looking back, yeah I've been spoiling the kid, I just want her to accept me." He said, around the cigar.

"And you're allowing her to manipulate her. There was no reason to go overboard like that." Kate said.

"Maybe, but she needed stuff, and I'm sorry about saying you couldn't provide it for her, but if I can why won't you let me?"

"Because she has to learn responsibility. To learn that to get things you want you have to save for them, not manipulate and twist your 'new father' into getting them for her. That shopping spree would have meant more if she'd seen you save the money for it, seen you setting a good example, and not sneaking her away when her mother wasn't looking to do it behind my back." Kate snapped.

"She's a kid. She should have fun, she should have someone who can say yes, if you need it or want it I'll get it for you. She deserves to have a childhood, and not spend all of her time working or grounded."

"Yeah well she and I used to have fun - we'd watch television, we'd shop when we had the money - or even if we didn't we'd window shop and build wish lists. We'd bake cookies and get flour all over each other. She has HAD fun in her life, Logan. You are not going to buy those years back...We are both responsible for you not being in her life, but you can't just make up for twelve years in three months."

"I want her to like me, to see me as someone she can come to if she has problems, I want to be her friend." He actually sounded sincere, and she wasn't sure what was worse. Logan sincere - or Logan trying to be a friend instead of a father.

"Logan, you're her father, not her friend. What she needs is an example, someone to tell her when she screws up, someone to hold her accountable, and then a friend or playmate. Parenting isn't a popularity contest, and right now I'm the one taking all the negatives. There is no prize if you make me the bad guy. The only one that gets hurt is Maggie."

"That's not true - you get hurt too." She was surprised by the statement, and suddenly angry.

"That is none of your concern, you have Rogue, you have Maggie and those two are the ones you need to worry about first. You don't ever need to worry about me." She hissed. He had no right standing there telling her he was concerned about her. If he really wanted to be a parent, he needed to put Maggie first, and not worry about her.

"You're Maggie's mother, that makes you my concern - my family and my responsibility." He growled it, like it was a chore, something that disgusted him.

"I'm my own responsibility." She snapped.

"Yeah like you were as a kid - when you ran away...good job there." He ground out. She gasped, then her vision had a red sheen over it. How the hell did he know about that, unless he'd been eavesdropping, the bastard.

"How the hell...never mind, you can just go to hell. You have no right in my life, except as her father and as we have to deal with issues concerning her, you are not my friend - and frankly I don't want to be friends. Civil yes, but I'm just some woman you fucked a long time ago, I'm just the whore, I'm not a part of your fucking family." She stormed into the building.

"That was a little harsh." She heard Ro walk up behind her. She turned to the first female friend she'd had in a long time.

"No that's the harsh reality. He needs to step up and parent." She could feel her heart racing, and her face was burning. She needed to get out of here.

"I meant the last part, he's trying to reach out to you."

"No one reaches out to the whore, and I don't want his pity." She turned and walked purposefully to the stairs. She wasn't going to let anyone see the tears.

She took the stairs slowly, not wanting anyone to see her run. She could hear Logan behind her and just wanted to escape.

XxxxxxxX

Rogue and Maggie finished putting her new things away.

"I know your mom grounded you, but do you think she will mind if we have a cake later for your birthday?" Marie wasn't sure it was a good idea, but Logan ready ordered the cake.

"I really don't want a cake, I just want to spend time with my Mom." Marie envied Maggie, Kate was a great mother, and it showed in her daughter. Marie hoped she'd be half the mother Kate was someday.

"Its just going to be a few of your new friends and a cake and some ice cream?"

"If Mom can't go then I don't want to." Maggie said.

"I'll make sure Logan invites her." Marie said.

"Ok, but only if she comes. We usually get a small cake and I blow out the candles and we eat it together, and watch old movies on TV."

"Can Ah ask you somethin'?"

"Sure?" Maggie said.

"Do you think Logan's doin' a good job, as a father?"

"You're asking me? I'm twelve." Maggie said with a laugh.

"Well, is he what you want in a father?" Marie asked.

"Not really. I mean...getting stuff is kinda fun, I've never really had a bunch of stuff at once, but I'd rather he'd spend more time with me in defense class, or maybe work with me after class or something, just me and him...I want a Dad, not a buddy. I mean...I know I've done stuff that I should get punished for, just to see if he'd go along with it. I want him to say no sometimes. I want to know what his rules are, and all he does is buy me stuff...he hardly talks to me at all."

"He's trying." Marie said, she heard loud noises out in the sitting area.

"I told you to leave me alone." Kate shouted, Marie could hear more than anger in her voice, she was on the verge of tears.

"I..." Logan started, growling than stopped and took a deep breath. "We've ordered a cake for tonight, I'd like her to be there for her own party." He said. Marie groaned, this was not going to go well.

"That is entirely up to Maggie. I certainly haven't have the option of doing anything for her birthday. You and Rogue have it all planned don't you?" She heard footsteps, and a slamming door, then the door slammed open again. "Get the hell out of my room. YOU have no right to my privacy, you have no right to anything to do with me. Do what you want, you're going to anyway. And thank you so damned much for cutting me out of her birthday too. Don't think you will ever cut me completely out of her life. GET OUT!" She screamed, and Marie felt answering tears on her cheeks for the pure anguish in Kate's voice. Maggie walked out of her room. Marie quickly followed her. The child ran into her mother's room and Logan just stood in the doorway, stunned.

"Logan, you should have asked her, not told her, and you shoulda invited her ta come." Marie said softly.

He just turned and stormed from the room. Marie could hear soft voices in the other room, but didn't want to interfere. She followed Logan to their room

"I just wanted the kid to have a nice birthday, is that so fucking hard?" Logan growled, pacing back and forth.

"If you asked her instead of ordered her around, it would go a long way towards making things easier as parents." Rogue said. "Ah remember when my mom and dad split up for a while...Ah was right about Maggie's age. Ah ran wild, with Mom and Dad tryin ta get me ta side with them. Eventually they got back together, but not before it destroyed any respect I had for them."

"Do you think Maggie respects me?" He looked at Marie and she could see the pain in his eyes. She knew she was going to have to make it worse.

"No. She wants a father - not a friend." Marie said. He crossed the room and pulled her into his arms.

"Help me." He whispered. "I can't do this alone."

"Ah'm always here for ya, Sugar." She whispered back, pressing her bare forehead to his. She allowed a little pull, just to get his surface thoughts, and smiled. She had an idea...

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Mom, I don't want to go to the stupid party." Maggie said. Kate sighed, and tried harder to hold back her tears. Maggie never should have heard them, not like that. She knew she couldn't keep from her daughter how much they fought, but she did try not to do it in front of her. As much as she was really starting to hate him, Logan was Maggie's father, and Kate would do anything to try to help Maggie get to know him better.

"They've already got the cake, and invited everyone. It would be rude not to go." She whispered.

"Well he was rude to you..." Maggie was angry, and Kate hated to see her like this toward her father. They needed time to work this out, and Kate hated to interfere.

"Margaret, two wrongs don't make a right. You should go. Rogue and Logan have spent some time planning this, and want to make things nice for you this year, in ways I can't." She bit her lip and looked out the window, willing Maggie to stop arguing and just accept things.

"Not without you."

"Maggie, its the first birthday he gets to spend with you, its okay, let him try to make it a nice one." Her fists were clenched and she was working to control her breathing. The last thing she wanted was Maggie seeing how distraught she really was. Kate was holding it together until she could get Maggie out of the room.

"I don't want a party, I don't want a cake if you won't be there."

"He didn't invite me, and I am not going to be rude and crash the party." She said firmly.

"But Rogue was going to have him invite you." Maybe, but that's not how things worked out, and she wasn't going to go where she wasn't wanted, even for her own daughter's birthday. She didn't want to make Rogue any more uncomfortable than she already had to be.

"Just enjoy your party. I mean it. They went to the trouble, you should enjoy it. I am sorry you had to hear our fight, but that shouldn't interfere with your party."

"But I want you there." Kate walked to the bed and stretched out.

"I'm tired anyway...go have fun."

Maggie climbed up on the bed with her and Kate wrapped her arms around her for a moment.

"It really is okay." She whispered against the dark curly hair.

Xxxxxxxxx

Logan roamed the halls, growling at every person that crossed his path. Ro only glared at him as she took another load of papers out of Charles' office.

"Logan." Logan groaned internally. He really didn't want to deal with an interfering, if well meaning telepath right now. Logan walked in the door, feeling like he was being called to the principal's office after a fight.

"You have cut her very deeply, that and her own issues with her past is creating a difficult situation."

"I just want ta..." Logan stopped. What was it he wanted? Rogue, but that was a given, he wanted his daughter to accept him, and he wanted Kate to accept him, too. She was Maggie's mother and, until Rogue, the only woman he'd bothered to even remember her face. She meant something to him, she wasn't just some woman he'd fucked, and she certainly wasn't a whore. He sat down hard in the chair.

It hadn't been Maggie he was trying to impress, it was Kate. 

Xxxxxxxxx

Kate curled up in her bed after Maggie left the suite for her party and cried softly. She felt a sudden and strangely familiar pain as she thought of Victor. Even after three months she still thought about him, and right now she could really use a shoulder.

She allowed herself a moment to remember the kiss, the feel of his lips, the harsh feel of his sideburns against her palm, the taste of his mouth, even the sharp sting of his fangs scraping against her tongue and lips...she let out a soft sigh. She was an idiot. There was no way in hell a decent guy like Victor Creed would want anything to do with a whore like her. It was best he'd left...and she never had to see the loathing and disgust in his eyes she saw in Logan's.

She sat up as she heard the outer door open, ready to give the asshole a piece of her mind again. He'd done enough damage for one day, and frankly if it wasn't for her damned healing factor she might consider something drastic to escape from it, but she wouldn't do anything to hurt Maggie. She would just have to endure, at least until Maggie was eighteen, then she could leave.

Her bedroom door opened slowly and she couldn't help but smile as Maggie backed in, carrying a small cake with twelve candles into the room.

"I told them to enjoy the cake, but I wanted to be with my mom. Rogue ordered this for you and me, and everyone else is eating the big one." Maggie climbed carefully up onto the bed next to her. Kate couldn't stop a tear from rolling down her cheek. What had she done to deserve such a wonderful kid?

"You should be at your party." Maggie shook her head as Kate said it.

"I've spent every birthday with you and it didn't feel like one down there without you." Maggie held out a box of matches. "Besides I'd rather watch an old movie with you."

Kate sniffed. "Then let's light those candles."

They celebrated quietly, like they usually did, and Kate tried to stay awake, watching their favorite old movie on TV as Maggie drifted off to sleep.

Xxxxxxxxx

He clung to the roof over their window. It hadn't been hard to find. All he ad to do was follow Kate's scent. She was laying on the bed, Maggie curled up next to her. He wanted to be in there with them, her scent should be soft, and satisfied, and the cub curled up with them after a good round of sex. He wanted her head resting on his chest, the cub curled up against his side, safe and protected. He couldn't understand why she smelled so damned sad. She was safe, the kid was safe. She should be happy.

He saw the remains of a small, festive cake and smiled. It looked like he made it just in time. Someone had a birthday, and his guess was the Magpie. He smelled tears, a copious amount of them, but for the moment they looked content. That was the best he could hope for. Now he just needed to get downstairs, do what he came here to do - and get out of here before she saw him. She didn't need an animal like him around ruining things for her and the kid.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Victor leapt into the air and landed in a combat crouch.

"Long time no see. I can see you're just thrilled to see me." He quipped. The Runt hadn't changed a bit in three years.

"I'm takin' you down." Victor bit back the low growl. This was gonna hurt but he wasn't going to fight back, not here where one of them might fall through the roof and hurt his girls.

"I ain't here to fight." Victor said, standing up, hands out where Logan could see them. Maybe the Runt would take the gesture as it was intended...or not. Victor let out a hiss of pain as Jimmy slammed into him, pushing them both off the roof edge. Victor tried to roll, to land anywhere but on the balcony outside their window, but Jimmy's weight just wouldn't allow him.

He heard screams of surprise from inside the room as he tried to push James off of him. He looked over and saw Kate standing up, Maggie tucked behind him, her eyes blazing in anger. The French Doors opened and he was stunned by her voice.

"LOGAN! What the hell do you think you're fucking doing. Leave Victor alone!" Kate yelled.

"VICTOR!" Logan snapped at her.

"Yes...he's the one that dropped us off...Victor, what are you doing here?" She turned to him, anger fading to confusion as she looked at him. She was pissed at the Runt. Victor couldn't help but grin. For once his brother didn't have the upper hand with the frails.

"Yes, Victor, what are you doing here?" He heard the voice but couldn't believe his eyes. The old man was still alive...all the reports he'd heard said that he'd disintegrated into a pile of dust.

"Well, I came to talk to metal head here...try to make peace." Victor started.

"Why don't we take this downstairs to my office. Logan, please remove your claws from Victor's chest, and make sure you clean up the mess. Kate and Maggie don't need to have blood all over their balcony." He turned his chair and left the room, and Victor couldn't help but follow him. Damned telepath.


	7. Chapter 7

I know I'm horrible - another one. I at least know exactly where this one is going, so expect some Logan/Rogue Angst, and a Victor/OC, hey its what I do best.

Driven out of their home by prejudice, she just wanted a place to raise her daughter in peace. Will she find the peace she's looking for - as her daughter faces her father for the first time, or will a battle between brothers destroy her life forever.

Chapter 7 - Altercations

She followed them down the stairs, shocked that he was here. Surely he didn't come back for them? She couldn't hold out that hope. Charles' office was full, Ro and Hank, both in bath robes, Kitty, Bobby, Peter and Warren standing around the room in various forms of pajamas. Rogue rushed to Logan as Victor let out a low growl.

"He didn't hurt ya, did he?" She asked as Logan tucked her under his arm, keeping his body between her and Victor. Kitty was paler than usual, and all the adults looked ready to pounce if Victor made any wrong move. Kate was shocked by the level of hate and fear charging the room. Victor walked casually to one of the chairs in front of the desk, ignoring the glares and low mutterings, and sat down. Maggie ducked past Kate and climbed in his lap.

"You came to see us. Its just what I wanted for my birthday." She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. Logan started to lunge forward as Victor returned the hug, but Kate glared at him. He was not going to tell her who her - or Maggie's - friends could be.

"That's one of the reasons, Magpie. Wanted ta make sure you and your mom are settling in." She jumped down at his little push and ran back to Kate. Kate draped an arm casually across Maggie's shoulder and gave her a little squeeze. Someone had to make Victor feel welcome.

"See, birthday candle wishes can come true." She whispered loudly. Kate chuckled, more at the shocked and outraged faces in the room than at her statement. He'd told her they didn't like him, but seeing the raw evidence was almost amusing. He was so calm, so casual, if anything he was a little two casual, as if he knew what they thought and was provoking them by not being provoking.

"Why are you here, Victor?" Charles asked in a calm steady voice. He was the only one in the room besides Kate and Maggie that didn't look ready to pass out in fear, or kill on sight.  
>Victor is an old friend - of mine at least, and welcome in my home. as long as he behaves himself. They will accept it in time.<p>

"Three reasons, check on the girls, which I've done, give the Runt some documents he just might need, if that rock on Stripes there is any indication, and to ask for some information." He leaned back in the chair and. Crossed his ankles in font of him. Kate couldn't help but admire his long muscular legs in the dark jeans he was wearing. She blushed slightly trying to imagine what they'd look like bare.  
>Logan growled at her and she stuck her tongue out at him, juvenile yes, but damned satisfying. Maggie rolled her eyes at both of them and giggled. Victor glanced over just in time to see the exchange and laughed.<p>

"What's the matter, Runt, can't keep my girls in line." He gave her a wink and she blushed harder. Logan's growl deepened and his claws slammed out with the harsh sound of metal on metal in the room. Rogue, gripped his arm.

"Charles said no." Rogue said softly.

"His girls?" Logan growled back at her.

Xxxxxxxxx

He'd known as soon as Magpie jumped into his lap, now that they were in the same room he knew why her scent was so familiar. It pissed him off. Kate deserved better than the shit Jimmy had put her through and someday he'd make the Runt pay for running out like that. His girls deserved better, and he'd see that they got it.

"What information do you have for Logan?" Charles asked. Victor still wasn't adjusted to the changes in the old man but was certain it was him. His scent was slightly off, but the familiar presence in his head, as annoying as it could be sometimes, was definitely Charles.

Victor reached into his coat, and chuckled as everyone jumped. What did they expect him to be cowardly enough to carry a gun to a knife fight. He looked deliberately at Jimmy and pulled out a brown folder and held it in the air. "I stuck to public records instead of anecdotal evidence, since he's not likely to trust my veracity."

He watched Kate out of the corner of his eye, she was trying hard not to laugh out loud at him giving James a hard time. James really had screwed the pooch where Kate was concerned, and Victor couldn't be happier. He could smell her anger and pain from earlier, and somehow, his antagonizing Jimmy was easing that.

"What's with the ten dollar words, scum bag." Jimmy growled at him. "Didn't know you knew any that big."

"I taught you, Runt, where do you think you learned them." He grinned, it was always more fun to bait Jimmy when he was confused. "And I know a few things that big...I don't call ya Runt cuz your short."

James started to lunge again, but Stripes held him back. He let out another low threatening growl, and Victor just chuckled.

"Enough, Victor. I still do not think this is wise." Charles said. "We've had this discussion."

James snatched the folder out of Victor's hand and opened it. He started reading, and Victor had to keep from commenting on his mouth moving as he read. He'd never gotten past that habit...he had a small flash of memory to a cramped cabin, and the only book they could get their hands on as Victor tried to teach the small boy his letters and numbers.

"Well I beg to differ, it's my family, and as the eldest brother and head of the family, I get to make that call." Victor said with a snarl, James was developing a furrow in his forehead - and the scent of pain.

"Look at him, Victor." James grabbed the back of his head and his breathing increased until he was almost hyperventilating.

"What's wrong with him. A little headache from having to accept that he's family." He was stunned when Kate answered him.

"He has something in his memory centers...its blocking his memories, and causing a great deal of pain." She moved toward Jimmy, her hand outstretched. "It's moving, I can't seem to get a good grip on it...its like something is pressing against the back of his skull trying to get out."

"What?" He watched as James dropped to his knees, both hands gripping his head. He knew the memory problems were there, but not that it was a physical cause. He'd just thought they were a delayed reaction to the adamantium process.

"I think its a bullet, maybe two. Don't stand behind me, this may get messy, and make sure Maggie's out of the way." Kate said, reaching out to touch Jimmy, resting her hand gently on one of his, just under the extended blades. Victor had a sudden sense of dread and jumped to stop her. He noticed no one else moved, and he was too late.

He caught her as she fell backward, blood and brains covering the front of his shirt. Embedded shallowly in his chest were two bullets, that had come out of the back of her head. They dropped to the ground, forgotten.

"MOMMY!" He could hear Maggie screaming. He felt hands clawing at him, trying to rip her body from his arms. He snarled and growled, striking anyone who would take his mate away except the cub. The cub came close and he let her, the tears rocking her as she screamed for her mother.

He thought he had the animal contained...but now, his mate's body in his arms of him, he just wanted to kill them for letting it happen. Her body was still warm in his arms, he could still feel a pulse...he paused, she just had the back of her head blown off, how could she have a pulse. By any rights she should be dead. Her scent was alive, in excruciating pain, but alive.

"Victor, we need to get her to med lab. She will be fine, but you must let go." Charles' words penetrated his blood lust, rage and grief fogged brain.

"How can she be 'fine'?" He growled. He felt her body move, but her eyes were closed. Her face was serene, and not pale, not at all like he expected a woman who'd had the back of her head blown off to look.

"The bullets are made of adamantium, and like an irresistible force meeting an immoveable object, they still contained kinetic energy. When her body absorbed them, she absorbed the force as well, causing the bullets to finish their trajectory, much slowed by the initial penetration through the adamantium on Logan's skull." No wonder the egg head taught physics. Someone had picked the bullets up and put them in the professor's hand."They had an easier time exiting her head, than trying to exit his after eighteen years."

"Victor." He jumped, his attention fully back on the wounded woman in his arms. His arms tightened, frightened she would slip away. "You're crushing me."He eased his grip. Maggie was grinning and he felt an answering grin on his face. She was alive, and giving him a hard time, maybe she was fine after all.

"She was never dead, Victor. Simply healing the wound she absorbed from Logan." Charles said. "Her healing factor should take care of the worst of it, but I want to get her to med lab to make sure she's alright."

"The only thing I need right now, Charles is a shower." She said as she tried to sit up. Victor's grip tightened. She wasn't going anywhere.

"James. My name is James." Well shit, now he didn't know what he was going to use as a bargaining chip for the information he needed. He still wasn't sure how much the Runt remembered, but at this point, it was moot. He needed the information about the mutant.

He looked at Kate, and then stopped...she was the information he came for. He growled low, a strong urge to protect her surged through him. There was no way in hell Magneto would get his hands on Kate. She might be the healer, but Victor didn't want her anywhere near the Brotherhood he could convince Mystique to bring the old man here. He let out a low warning growl as Jimmy moved closer. He backed off, and Victor subsided into a low constant growl. James had his chance and blew it. Kate was his, now!

Kate closed her eyes and he could smell she was still in pain.

"Where's med lab, I'll carry her." Victor said as James tried to move close again."Deal with your own mate Runt. You had your shot at mine, and blew it. What idiot fucks a woman like this and doesn't get her name."

xxxxxxxxxx

Marie watched in shock and fear. This was something she'd never in her wildest dreams ever expected. Sabretooth being gentle with anyone, but there he was carrying her, Maggie clinging to him, and he wasn't pushing the child away. It was like he accepted them, and knew they accepted him. She followed, rushing ahead to open the elevator for them, Logan growling at her to "Get back, Rogue."

Victor just glanced at her, all his attention centered on Kate. Rogue stepped into the elevator behind them, Maggie slipping in with them. She closed the door before Logan could get in. She didn't want them in a confined space together.

"Are you really his brother?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, half-brother, actually." He growled. He heard Kate's soft intake of breath, and wondered if it would make a difference.

"Well Ah guess that will make you my brother-in-law." She said as the doors opened on the lower level.

"Yeah."

"Never woulda seen that comin' after the Statue of Liberty." She snorted. He actually chuckled. It was bazaar, having him here and talking to him, after years of nightmares and fear because of him.

"He ain't gonna just accept this, ya know?" She said as she held the door open for him. He carried Kate to the exam bed and she heard the elevator open behind them and Hank, Charles and Logan arguing loudly.

"...not going to stay with her. Damn it she's the mother of my child, she's my responsibility and that monster is NOT staying with her." Logan was shouting. Marie felt a twinge of jealousy, but knew he was right. Kate was family, whether she liked it or not, and he was responsible for her safety.

"Logan, she's safe, Hank and I will be with her." Charles said.

"Over my dead body." Logan growled as they walked in the door, and she felt more than saw Victor lunge at him, picking him up and holding him, one handed against the wall, his clawed fingers wrapped around Logan's throat. Logan's claws were poised at Victor's.

"That can be arranged, Runt." Victor growled. "You had your chance, now back the fuck off."

"Stay away from her, Victor. She's not some spoil of war you can..." Victor's claws cut off the air to his vocal chords and Logan struggled to breathe, then just glared, his claws penetrating Victor's throat. Marie stopped. When did she stop thinking of him as Sabretooth.

"Logan. STOP!" Kate was on her feet and pulling on Victor's arm. "Victor let him go."

"Victor, let him go?" Logan snarled as the grip on his throat eased. "You can be polite to this bastard."

"Yeah, well, he's treated me a hell of a lot better than you have in the short time I've known him. Now both of you back off." She snapped.

"Logan, Maggie's here, do you really want her ta see this." Marie said softly, and watched as Logan's claws slipped, slowly, into his hands. Victor released him and Logan landed with a hollow thud on the floor.

"Stay away from my kid...and her mother." Logan snarled.

"LOGAN! I have every right to have a life, and you don't control it. If I want to spend time with Victor, I'll spend time with Victor. And in case you missed it...Maggie is the one that had the birthday candle wish come true, so I seriously doubt you or I either one could keep her from spending time with him, and I don't want to." Kate stepped between the ferals, and Marie nearly gagged, seeing the back of her head for the first time.

Her hair had grown back but was soaked in blood and Marie could see small bits of...something...clinging to the strands.

"Kate...there's a shower in the bathroom. Marie can help you get cleaned up. Maggie, could you go get you're mother some clean clothes so these can be disposed of. Victor, there's a chair right over there. I have a feeling you won't leave until she's ready to sleep. Logan...go home...Marie will be up as soon as Kate's ready to try to get some sleep." Hank said. Kate walked back to the exam table and Hank began probing the back of her head. "This seems completely healed."

**Rogue, please help Kate. I will see to it Logan makes it back to your rooms. This is a shock for him, and his memories may very well be restored by what Kate did. Do not be concerned, his love for you is a constant. Something I wasn't aware he was capable of until now.  
><strong>  
><strong>Thank you, Professor. Ah'll help her and then see if Ah can settle him down later<strong>.

XXXXXXXX

**Logan, you need to rest.  
><strong>  
>Logan growled. <strong>Get out of my head Chuck.<br>**  
><strong>You need time to sort through things, you are confused and conflicted at the moment.<br>**  
><strong>Fuck you, and get out of my head. And keep that monster away from my kid.<br>**  
><strong>Please take time to try to sort through your feelings - and any surfacing memories.<strong>

**I don't need your advice. I'll handle it myself.**


	8. Chapter 8

I know a little shorter chapter but I've got a heavily researched project I'm working on right now, but at least I cleared the block here and WILL be finishing this.

Chapter 8 - Hearts and Flowers

Marie walked into the room, Logan was standing at the window, the stub of his cigar resting on the windowsill.

"Maggie's asleep, finally." She said as she walked up to him. "You should be resting."

"It's all a jumble. I get flashes of things but without a reference point, its just nonsense."

"But you're remembering?" He pulled her tight against his side and she tried to relax against him.

"Yeah." He said, brushing her hair with his lips.

"And...?" She needed him to tell her everything was okay, that he wasn't going to take off, not now.

"And the damned bastard is right. He's my half-brother. That much I remember. It's like I'm torn. He's my brother, but at the same time, I don't trust him, and there's a violent hatred there and I can't remember why?"

"Ah'm sure you will." She pressed her cheek to his shoulder.

"At least I'm sure of one thing, there aint no other living woman in my life, so you can quit worryin'." She smiled a little. She sometimes hated that nose of his.

"That's good ta hear...maybe."

"You aint gettin rid of me that easy, I chased ya too long til ya caught me." He chuckled and she let out a pent up sigh. It was her worst fear, he'd wake up someday and realize he had a wife and more kids somewhere. Now she could put it to rest.

"So - ya gonna ask him ta be your best man?"

"WOMAN!" He roared and she laughed.

"Well, he is family..."

"Yeah - and from what I'm getting of my shredded memories, he raised me...and I owe him, a lot, but the hate is stronger...and that is the one thing I can't remember - why?" He said as she slipped from his side and started getting ready for bed.

"It's stronger than what?" She asked, pulling off her top and throwing it toward the hamper. She glanced at the clock, it was almost five a.m. "Ah think you're gonna have ta cancel self defense classes, Sugar."

"Stronger than the love." She almost didn't hear his answer, and she looked at him in shock.

"Love?" She questioned.

"He raised me - and not just from the time our father...died. But even before, he's the one that taught me ta read and write...he's the one that protected me and kept me from gettin' hurt." She turned down the bed and slipped off her jeans. She grabbed her nightgown and walked to the bathroom door. "I just can't remember what he did that made me hate him."

"Well, maybe that's for the best...Sugar, Ah mean, if you were close for so long, maybe its best ta forget what caused tha hate."

"Are you INSANE!" He growled from the door. "He's a murdering monster. Remember Liberty Island?"

"Well, yeah he scared tha shit outa me but he never hurt me." She dropped her bra on the counter and caught the gleam in his eye in the mirror. "Besides, this...Victor...ain't anythin like Sabretooth."

"Yeah - I've noticed that. I remember something, his animal was taking over, and it was getting out of control...maybe that was it. Maybe I lost Victor to Sabretooth." He slipped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck.

"Can we talk about this in the mornin, Darlin." He whispered, his hands tracing up her stomach. "I've got somethin' else on my mind."

She smiled and turned in his arms.

"Sure, Sugar..." She kissed him softly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

She opened her eyes and groaned. She hated sleeping in hospital beds, and always ended up with a crick in her neck.

"You should be asleep."

"I'm fine." She sat up on the bed, rubbing her neck. "If I sleep any more in this torture device, I'll look like Quasimodo for a week." He chuckled, and moved to sit behind her on the bed. She tensed up, as hi started rubbing her neck and shoulders.

"If ya don't relax, you will end up like Quasimodo." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting her neck muscles relax under his hands. She wasn't sure how she felt. Physically she was fine, except the lingering headache, but she knew it would pass.

He and Logan were so different, but brothers? She was trying to digest that idea. Maggie was his niece, he was family in a way...did that make her a pervert for finding him attractive.

His hands worked the knots out of her neck and shoulders, not saying anything and she was grateful for the chance to think. Since coming to the school her life had been completely out of her control, and now she didn't know what to think.

"Why are you here, Victor?" She finally asked.

"I told you..."

"No, you gave a cryptic answer to a simple question, why are you here?"

"I need...no an old friend needs help, only a mutant with your gift can help him. He's dying." She could hear the pain, and honesty in his voice.

"So you need my mutation." That was it, it had to be it, he couldn't really want just her. It never worked out that way for her. She cringed as his hands hit a tight knot in her neck.

"No, woman, I...me...the man massaging your neck...need you. I didn't even know what the hell your mutation was until you pulled that trick with Jimmy Boy." He growled low. "And frankly, after that, bucket head can just die for all I care."

She sighed.

"It's not as bad as it looks...I take the wound, illness, whatever into my body then my healing factor heals it. I usually only have residual effects for a day or so, and those are minor."

"I still don't like seeing you hurt. I was damned...". She could hear him struggling with the word, and when it came out it was a strangled whisper "scared."

"Would you let me tell you that you couldn't use your powers?". She asked, rolling her neck under his skilled fingers. It made her wonder what else his hands were skilled at doing.

"No." He said it simply and she just nodded.

"Your friend, the one who's sick, can you estimate how much longer he has?" She asked finally.

"He's not in good shape, but after what you did today, you should rest." He said softly. His hands had gone from massaging to caressing and she leaned back into them. She hadn't felt like a woman in years, except for that brief moment in the cab of his truck, and feeling his hands just made her want to lean into him and never move. She knew he could smell her, know just how much she was enjoying this, but his hands never moved from her neck.

"I'm fine. It's my gift and if I think I need to use it I will." 

"I'll contact Mystique and see if she can bring him here. I don't want you in that camp." The growl was menacing but comforting at the same time.

She felt his hands slide away from her and she turned to face him.

"That would probably be best." She whispered, stunned by the raw hunger in his eyes. She reached up to stroke her finger across his full lower lip, remembering the kiss in his truck. He growled low, then pulled her against him, his mouth crushing hers. She felt like he was trying to crawl inside her skin, and she wanted him there...forever.


	9. Chapter 9

Under A Starless Sky

Chapter 9

She felt him pull away, and moaned softly. She didn't want the moment to end. She heard the door open and opened her eyes. The look in his eyes hadn't changed, and she knew he must have smelled Hank.

She heard Hank clear his throat. "I thought you were supposed to be resting?"

"I told you I don't sleep well on these things." She said.

"Fine, Victor would you please take her to her room. She's probably the worst patient I've ever had the privilege to treat." Kate stuck her tongue out at him and climbed down off the hospital bed. She swayed a little, but Victor caught her arm to steady her.

"First, I'm gonna get you to bed, and then I'm makin' a few phone calls." He growled, low. She felt the vibration all the way to her toes, and knew he could smell what it was doing to her.

"Bed is definitely a good idea." She whispered.

He growled low again, and guided her to the door. "You're gonna get some sleep."

"Yes, yes I am." She nodded, glancing at him. He had a determined look on his face, but the hunger was still in his eyes. She could work with that.

He didn't say anything as he let her lean on him in the elevator. He guided her to the stairs and she suddenly wished the elevator went all the way to the third floor. She let out a soft groan before putting her foot on the first step and grabbing the railing for support. She heard the warning growl, right before she was swept off her feet and carried up the two flights of stairs. She tried not to giggle, as her eyelids drooped. Walking down the lower level corridor had really taken all her strength.

She woke to him muttering under his breath as he laid her on her bed. "...frails should know when to ask for help. I'll be damned if she's gettin' away that easy. I'll find a fucking tower and lock her in it for her own damned good."

"Not likely." She whispered.

"Shut up and sleep, woman." he growled back.

"Don't I at least get a good night kiss."

"You had that...now sleep."

"Victor, stay with me." She honestly didn't want to be alone. This was the first time her powers had left her this weakened. She wanted to look it over with Hank, try to understand why this was different.

"Darlin' if I stay, I ain't leavin." He growled. "And you're not up to dealin' with what that means."

"I'll deal with it in the morning, please stay." He growled again, but walked around the bed and laid down on the other side.

"I ain't gettin under the covers." He growled.

She just smiled and pulled the sheets and blanket over her. She felt him against her back, even through the covers, and knew there would be consequences for this, but his arm across her waist, and his breath soft on her skin as he pulled her back against his chest was all the comfort she needed to drift off to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Damned frail. There was no way in hell he was lying here all night. He had things to do. He smelled her contentment and sighed softly as he pulled her tight against him. Just for a little while.

He shouldn't have kissed her again. The first time had been bad enough, now she was in his blood. He told her the truth, he wasn't leaving, not now. Having her this close, knowing she wanted him as much as he wanted her, there was no way in hell he was leaving her, at least not until he'd had his fill. He thought over what happened, and one thing stuck out, more than anything else. He'd called her his mate.

He'd never really thought about it, but with her factor, she could be...he'd never be alone again, even if she drove him insane. He gave that tower idea some thought. He could find someplace to lock her away, but then there was the cub - his brother's cub. He could feel his fist clenching...and forced himself to relax. James had his chance, and gave it up. It was Victor's turn now.

It still bothered him, taking his brother's leavings, but this time the frail wanted him, he wasn't doing it for revenge, not this time. The Fox bitch, he'd almost taken her before the meds kicked in, but Stryker had wanted her unharmed. He still didn't know what his brother saw in her, and it bothered him that Stryker had known Jimmy better than he had on that.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He could lay here and make his calls quietly, while she slept. He hit the speed dial button for Magneto. He wasn't surprised when Myst answered.

"Did it work, are you in?"

"Better than we thought, I've got the mutant right here." he said softly.

"Why are you whispering, Tooth?" He wanted to growl, but Kate was actually asleep.

"She's sleeping." He said.

"She? The mutant's female? Don't do anything stupid, just get her here now. If she heals him, maybe you can play with her then." Myst said.

"Myst, you're going to put Erik in a chopper, you're going to fly to Xavier's and Kate'll heal him here." Victor said.

"Are you insane? I can't move him." Mystique said, and Victor heard the tension in her voice.

"If you want him to live you can." He growled back. "I ain't puttin Kate and the cub at risk."

"Cub, you mean the girl has a child."

"Woman, and yes damn it." He felt her move next to him, and lowered his voice again. "Just get him here."

"Damn it. Alright, as long as..."

"Charles suggested it." Victor said.

"Damn him too." She hung up the phone. He grinned. The other calls didn't even require him actually speaking to anyone, and once he was done with the transfers he slipped his phone back into his pocket. A noise at the door startled him and he looked up. Maggie was rubbing her eyes.

"Couldn't sleep, cub?" he asked softly.

"No. I was going to come sleep with mom, but..." She started.

"Come on, there's room for all three of us." He said, patting the bed in front of Kate. He had to admit, Xavier spared no expense. Maggie crawled under the covers and Victor draped his arm over both of them. He felt a strange sense of peace, and before long the world was silenced.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE!" Logan glared at the three of them curled up like a pile of puppies in the middle of Kate's bed. It was bad enough, Victor being here, but seeing him sleeping contentedly, with Kate and Maggie tucked safely under his arm really pissed Logan off.

"Shut the fuck up, Runt." Victor glared. Maggie sat up, and Logan glared at Victor until he pulled the protective hand away, and allowed the child to slip out of the bed.

"Dad, I was having bad dreams." She said, picking up the robe she'd dropped on the floor before climbing into bed. "I usually sleep with mom when I do that."

"Get to your own bed." Logan growled.

"No, I'm worried about mom and I..."

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU, YOUNG LADY!" He roared at her. She wanted discipline and rules, he'd give them to her.

"Maggie, do what your father said." Kate said sleepily as she sat up as best she could under Victor's arm. Logan glared at her. He didn't need her support with his own cub.

"But Mom."

"Do it." Kate said firmly.

"Fine, I always have to miss the good stuff. You guys know I can hear and smell you from my room, right?" She said as she pushed past him in the door. He tried to keep the smirk off his face, she really needed to learn to control her mouth.

"Cub, I promise not to leave, not without letting you know." Victor said, and Logan growled at him...and caught the scent of relief from his daughter. Shit, she'd rather have his homicidal brother around than him. She just wanted him around to get stuff and get out of trouble. That's when everything Kate had been trying to tell him sank in.

"Victor, stay the hell out of this." He growled. "There's a helicopter inbound, I figure its Buckethead." He snarled. Victor just nodded and climbed off the bed so Kate could slip out from under the covers. There was a small part of him that was gloating that he'd had her first, until he saw the look she gave Victor. Suddenly first didn't matter so much.

He spun on his heel and walked over to Maggie's room.

"Kid, I'm sorry." He said softly. Maggie just glared at him.

"You hate Victor." She didn't ask, just stated.

"Sometimes, but that's not why I want you to stay away from him." Logan said, sitting on the edge of her bed. "He's dangerous."

"So are you." She quipped.

"Yeah, but I know when to put the violence and blood away."

"The only person I've seen hurting anyone is you hurting Mom, so I don't buy that." She growled. He stopped and thought about that, and realized she was right.

"That's different."

"Why? Because she didn't chase you down across the Canadian wilderness. Because you didn't know about me, and blame her, or because she showed up after you realized how much Marie meant to you, and you couldn't have them both?" She was way the hell too smart for a twelve year old.

"Some of all of it." He said. She sat up, and for the first time, put her arms around his neck and gave him a hug.

"I'm your kid, but Mom's not yours. You treat her like I wish you'd treat me sometimes, like SHE'S your kid, not me." She said. "You yell at her, try to give her rules, and try to punish her when she doesn't do what you want her to do. She gets all the bad stuff, and it hurts her. It's always just been the two of us, and I don't like to see Mom hurt."

He returned the hug, pulling Maggie onto his lap. "You're right, kid. How the hell did you get so smart."

"I think I get it from Mom, 'cuz you can be really dumb sometimes." She said, and he chuckled. She was right again, she definitely got her looks from her mother, and he suddenly was dreading the day boys started noticing. He'd just found her, and someday, soon for him, some guy was going to take her away from him.

"Alright, now back to bed." He growled.

"Dad, cut Mom some slack...Victor too. He makes her smile." Maggie said as he pulled the covers up under her chin.

"I'll think about it." He leaned down and kissed her head. "Go to sleep."


End file.
